"Promise you never leave." Violet told him as she dried her tears.
"I'll never leave." He whispered into his daughter's ear.
"Dood. I wove you daddy." She pecked his cheek.
"I love you too, angel."
"Mummy, I is hungy... Tan I has some food?" Violet asked her mother.
"What would you like to eat sweetie?" Hermione approached her lover and her daughter.
"Food, dood food." Severus laughed at Violet's lack of information.
"Alright, why don't we stay here for dinner tonight and cook?" Hermione asked brightly.
"Ooh yes! What we took? Tan daddy help?"
"Daddy can help if he wants to, but you'll have to ask him nicely."
"Daddy, tan you took wif us? Peas."
"Yes, sweetie, I'll cook with you and mummy. What do you want to cook?" Severus asked his little girl.
"Uhm... Speggi?"
"Spaghetti?" Hermione asked, unsure of what she said.
"Yeah! Sgetti!"
"How does spaghetti bolognaise sound Sev?" Hermione turned to look at the gentle dungeon bat.
"Perfect. Shall I get the elves to send us some fresh ingredients?"
"Oh, yes! Do you make your sauce from scratch?"
"Of course, it doesn't taste very nice if it isn't made fresh." He smiled lightly.
"I actually think I've already got the fresh ingredients in my cupboard..." Hermione wandered over to her cupboard and checked.
"Do you want to put red wine in it?" She asked him, still looking through the cupboard.
"What about Violet?" He looked slightly alarmed.
"Oh, we can set some sauce aside so that she doesn't get any wine, just to be safe."
"Oh, okay then let's put wine in it. Do you need me to go and get anything?"
"No, I've got everything here. Vi, go and play while daddy and I chop everything up and then you can help us put everything together and stir it, okay sweetie?"
"Tan I watch you chop?" Violet gave her the doe eyes.
"Okay sweetie." Hermione levitated a chair over to the bench and Severus sat her on it.
Remember the rules Vi?" She asked the two year old.
"Yep. Don't put fingeys near knife or food."
"Good girl."
Hermione took out a knife and a chopping board and placed them on the black bench top. Severus levitated the ingredients from the cupboard to the chopping board.
"Mya, where's my knife?" He asked her.
"You are going to help me..." She smiled sheepishly at him and he understood. Hermione took the knife in her hand and began chopping the tomato, Severus stood behind her, placed his hand on her waist and the other hand on top of hers which was cutting the tomatoes. She leaned into him and his divine smell engulfed her. He smelt of spice, musk and potions ingredients. Severus was guiding the cuts Hermione made in the tomato while she enjoyed being so close to him. He laughed when he felt her hand go slack on the knife and she broke out of her reverie. Her head snapped back up and her hand tensed around the knife's handle. Lowering his head to her shoulder, he nuzzled her neck earning a playful smack on the arm.
"Later, okay?" Hermione told him quietly, and he stopped.
"Okay, love."
"I love you, Severus."
"I love you too."
"Mummy and daddy wove me too?" Violet interrupted their little moment.
"Yes, we love you too!" Severus chuckled. Hermione felt the vibrations in her back and realised how lucky her and Violet were that he was a big softy when he was with them.
"Dood. When you gonna be done?"
"I'll get another chopping board and knife seeing as you are so hungry okay Vi?" Hermione was a great mother.
The sauce was made in no time and the pasta was cooked. Hermione dished out the food and gave Violet her special sauce. They ate in the living room on the burgundy coloured carpet. Halfway through the meal Hermione sat her bowl and fork on the floor and skipped into the kitchen. When she came back, she had a sippy cup of apple and black current juice for Violet, a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses.
"Ta mummy." Violet thanked her mother when she handed her the juice.
"Why didn't you just give her pumpkin juice?" Severus whispered into Hermione's ear.
"Oh, because then she'd feel left out, so I gave her apple and black current juice which is the same colour as the wine."
"Smart, love, very smart." He kissed her cheek and then thanked her for the wine.
When Violet finished she looked at her parents snuggled together, got up and plonked herself onto her daddy's lap.
"Sert?" She asked her mother.
"Maybe. What do you want and I'll tell you if I can cook It."
"Hmm..." Her little finger made its way up to her chin. "Apple pie?"
"Alright. I'll go and make it, you entertain daddy. Ask him to read you a story."
Hermione walked back into the kitchen, taking the dirty dishes with her and began slicing some apples. Once the pastry was made, Hermione put the pie in the oven. As she walked back to the living room she could hear Severus' silky voice reading through Beauty and the Beast.
"Daddy... You and mummy are like Beast and Belle, but you much more handsome than beast."
Hermione tried not to giggle, but failed miserably after hearing her daughter's words.
"I suppose your right though angel. Who would love an ugly beast like me?" Severus asked his daughter.
"Mummy." She replied knowingly. "And me."
Hermione decided to join in. "And who would love a strange bookworm like me?"
"I would love a strange, beautiful, insufferable, know-it-all bookworm, like you." Severus looked at her.
"And I would love a strong, handsome, brave, intelligent, stubborn beast like you."
"I wove you both!" Violet interrupted loudly.
"We love you too." Hermione replied.
"Food tooked?" Violet asked impatiently.
"Not yet, but its cooking okay sweetie?"
"Otay."
Just as she said that the buzzer went off on the oven.
"FOOD TOOKED!" Violet exclaimed loudly.
Hermione went to take the tray out of the oven but burnt her forearm.
"Shit!" She hissed.
Severus ran into the kitchen to see if Hermione was alright.
"Are you alright sweetheart?" He asked as she placed the tray on the chopping board.
"Just burnt my arm, nothing too bad."
"Let me heal it." He took out his wand and uttered a healing spell, in an instant Hermione's arm healed. He kissed where the burn was and helped Hermione dish out the food.
Five minutes later they were seated on the floor eating apple pie, Violet happily mushing it onto her face. When they finished Hermione cleaned Violet's face while Severus cleared away the dishes. He cleaned them by hand as Hermione put Violet in her pyjamas and read her a bedtime story.
When he walked into Violet's room, he found Violet asleep in her cot and Hermione asleep in the chair beside the cot with Violet's book in her hand. He chuckled softly and kissed Violet's head before lifting Hermione up bridal style and carrying her to bed. Setting her down gently, he removed her shoes and pants before dressing her in pyjama pants. He was about to go back to his quarters when Hermione called out to him. He walked softly back into her bedroom and saw her patting the spot beside her on the bed.
"Sleep over..." She mumbled, half asleep.
"Okay." He slid into her bed wearing his boxers and wound an arm around her waist.
"I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her head and they slept in each other's arms again.