(A/N: Yeah so I skip to Harry's 11th birthday... Let's just pretend Rose and Minerva had an uneventful life up until then... Oh and thanks so much to the reviewers and readers and followers and favouriters! Yes they are real words...)
Rose was giddy, nervous, apprehensive, anxious and ecstatic. It was the end of the summer holidays and Harry would be starting his first year at Hogwarts very soon, that evening in fact. Oliver and Isobel, now 7, had picked up on their mother's excitement.
"Mummy why are you so excited?" Isobel asked around a mouthful of food.
"Chew first, talk later!" Minerva chastised as the girl grinned.
"Your cousin Harry begins school today, remember?" Isobel nodded, she had known all about her cousin Harry, his parents and what had happened almost 11 years ago. As Oliver opened his mouth to speak, Albus Dumbledore apparated into the kitchen.
"Merlin's beard!" Minerva said, clutching her chest in surprise. "Don't you ever knock?!" Albus smiled knowingly and silently walked into the other room, gesturing for Rose to follow him.
"What's going on?" She asked, perching on the edge of the coffee table.
"Your sister and her husband aren't responding to Harry's Hogwarts letter... It's gotten to a point where they've taken him to a rickety old shack on an island." Rose shook with anger.
"I'll make sure they respond." She spoke darkly, the air around them changed, it was heavy with Rose's rage.
"I was going to send Hagrid." Rose smiled, she had gotten on really well with Hagrid and Albus' thought to send him was touching. However, it was only right that she went.
"I don't think sending a half-giant to their door is going to end well..." Rose began. "They're the kind of people that get violent in the face of something they're scared of. It would be much safer if I went." Albus nodded slowly.
"You know your sister best."
"Unfortunately." Rose muttered. Albus handed her a piece of parchment with an address scrawled on it, said his goodbye's to Minerva and the children, then left. Rose walked back into the kitchen and Minerva sent the children to get dressed. "They've taken him into hiding." Minerva chuckled and shook her head.
"Idiots."
"They've been ignoring his letters... They'll be hard pushed to ignore me." Minerva smiled and took Rose's hand.
"Please be careful." If Petunia's temper was anything like Rose's, and Minerva was sure that it was, then there would most likely be an argument, at the very, very least.
"You should be warning her." Minerva raised an eyebrow.
"Rose, you're a wife and a mother now, you can't just go running into fights all gun's blazing." A pause. "No matter how much the woman deserves it." Rose grinned and pulled Minerva close for a tender kiss. "When are you going?"
"Later... My gun's are still blazing." Rose said, flexing her impressive biceps. Minerva wrapped her hands around them.
"Mmm, blazing indeed."
"Mum can we go and play with Sam?" Oliver asked, running into the kitchen and into his mothers. "Ooft!" He mumbled as the air was knocked out of him.
"Y'alright little man?" Rose asked, picking him up and hoisting him on to her hip. He nodded and snuggled into her.
"So can we play out with Sam please?" Sam, or Samantha, was Rosmerta and Charlie's daughter, she was only a few months younger than the twins.
"Oh I don't know..." Rose teased. "Ask you mother." Oliver squished his face against Rose's.
"Peeeeeeaaaas!" He begged as Rose grinned. As the twins had gotten older, Oliver looked more like Rose and Isobel looked like Minerva, while still remaining a mixture of the two.
"Oh well I can't say no to that face." Minerva said, stroking his cheek. "Or this one." She said, cupping Rose's cheek. "Go and get your sister and tell her we're going to the inn." Oliver ran off.
"Ros' won't mind, will she?" Minerva asked. It didn't feel strange using the woman's nickname anymore, they had grown into close friends over the years. Rose shook her head.
"She'll be glad for some sane company." She joked as Isobel and Oliver appeared at her side.
"Can we go now? Can we go now? Can we go now?" They chorused, tugging at Rose's sleeve. Rose laughed as they left toward the inn.
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"They've done what?!" Rosmerta asked, the kids were playing in the other room with Charlie's supervision while the three women spoke. "Are they brainless?!" She had lowered her voice yet the tone remained angry.
"I think so." Minerva spoke, absent-mindedly rubbing soothing circles on the small of Rose's back.
"I'm gonna guess that Harry has no idea of the world he belongs to." Rosmerta started and Rose nodded.
"It's looking that way."
"So... She neglected to tell him about you... And the kids?" Rose nodded again. "That bitch!" Rosmerta was suddenly furious. "After everything she's done to you she still continues! Does she like fucking up everybody's life then? Is she so miserable with her own pathetic existence that she has to-"
"Ros, calm down." Rose had stood and placed a hand on Rosmerta's shoulder. Rosmerta was usually skilled at keeping her temper in check, yet everything Petunia did made her lose it. "It's fine, I'm going round there later."
"What do you mean 'everything she's done to you'?" Minerva asked tentatively from the couch. It seemed like Rosmerta knew more than what Rose had already told her.
"It..." Rose faltered and Rosmerta felt like she'd really put her foot in it. "I didn't tell you because it wasn't important at the time. It still isn't, it-" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I went to see her a very long time ago, while Lily was pregnant with Harry, after the letters... We argued and she..." Rose sighed again and waved a hand over her face, a scar Minerva had never seen before appeared on Rose's jawline, going from near her ear to the middle of her chin.
"What the..." Minerva breathed out, ghosting her fingertips over the jagged line.
"I turned and she sorta came at me with a knife, I guess. I used a concealment charm, I... I didn't want anyone to see it and ask, I didn't want to be reminded what my own sister did to me... As time went on, I just forgot. I didn't mean to keep it from you-" Rose was stopped with a tender kiss. "I honestly didn't remember until just now. I'm sorry." There was a silence.
"I just need to step outside for a moment." Minerva whispered, eyes full of rage, before kissing Rose on the cheek and leaving the room.
"I'm sorry! I thought she knew-" Rose held up a hand.
"Don't apologize, Ros! It's fine, I would've told her when I remembered." Rose shoved her hands in her pockets and realized an important piece of parchment was missing. "Oh shit." She whispered.
"What? What is it?" Rose ran out of the room.
"Minerva? Honey, where are you?" Isobel and Oliver stepped out of the room. "Have you seen your mother?" The kids shook their heads, confused. Rose turned to Rosmerta. "She's gone to them."
"You go, I'll keep the kids." Rosmerta said as Rose thanked her and rushed out of the house. She couldn't apparate to the address, she couldn't remember it. She'd have to pay Albus a visit...
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"Ah, Rose, how pleasant to see you-"
"I need another copy of that address, please." Rose panted, she'd ran to Albus' office, knowing she'd find him there even though it wasn't term time yet.
"What happened to the other one?"
"Uhhh... Minerva took it, I- I think she's gone to... Avenge me, maybe. Look, I don't know but I can't waste time here explaining it, please?" She begged as Albus grabbed her arm, apparating her to outside a rickety old shack. "I didn't know you could apparate in Hogwarts..."
"You can't, I can. Headmaster's privileges." He smiled as they rushed into the front door, coming face to barrel with Vernon's shotgun.
"I could kill you for trespassing and get away with it!" He shouted as his finger twitched around the trigger. Rose waved an arm and the shotgun flew out of his hands to the other side of the room.
"I disagree Vernon." She spat, looking around and noticing Minerva wasn't there. "Where's my wife?" Vernon looked thoroughly confused. "Where's yours?" She asked again but her answer was a shriek from upstairs. "Petrificus Totalus!" She caught Vernon, with great effort, as he fell and lead him gently to the ground before heading toward the noise. "Find Harry." She rushed out to Albus before bursting into what almost looked like a bedroom to see Minerva standing over Petunia with her wand poised. "Min!" Rose rushed in front of her and grabbed her wand arm. "Don't do this, it's not worth it."
"Oh it's very much worth it." It was Minerva who spoke but the voice was barely recognizable as hers, it had been distorted with rage.
"Don't you freaks take a hint?" Petunia spat out from behind them.
"Really Petunia, is now really the time?" Rose felt Minerva's wand arm tense again, trying to free itself from her strong grasp. "Min, please." Rose begged quietly, bringing her other hand to Minerva's cheek, forcing her to look into her eyes. "Please, please calm down." Minerva suddenly went limp, she had been running on rage and now that was gone, she felt guilty. She dropped her wand and wrapped her arms around Rose.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She sobbed into Rose's chest. Neither of the women noticed Petunia picking up the wand until she spoke.
"Take this freak show elsewhere." Rose turned around and immediately pulled Minerva behind her.
"Put that down, Petunia."
"I'm not a freak like you," She spat. "This is just a stick." To prove her point she waved the wand around, quickly dropping it as a red beam shot out and hit Rose, throwing her across the room and through a wall. Before she knew what was happening, Petunia felt a fist connect with her face, hard, before she fell to the floor. Minerva shook her hand and flexed her fingers before picking up her wand and rushing to Rose.
"Your aunt Rose isn't one for formal greetings." Albus spoke to a young, shocked boy. "Minerva, this is Harry." He spoke, helping Rose up off the floor. Minerva was completely shell-shocked, she couldn't talk, she couldn't move. He looked just like Lily and James merged into one person.
"My aunt?" He asked timidly, looking at Rose who was brushing dust off her clothes.
"Hello, Harry." She grinned. "I'm Rose." She didn't really know what to say. Albus had only just told him he was a wizard, then his aunt who he'd never heard of before, literally flew through the wall and into his life.
"They never told me about you." He said, his voice stronger.
"No, I didn't think they would... Out of the three of us, Petunia was the only one who wasn't magical and Vernon... Well, he's just a moron." Harry giggled and nodded his agreement.
"So you knew my parents before they died in the car crash?" Rose spluttered.
"The what?"
"Car crash..." Rose shook her head and sat down on the bed next to Harry, Minerva took a seat next to her and took her hand.
"They didn't die in a car crash Harry. They, uh..." She looked at Albus who nodded. "A long time ago, when you were just a baby, there was a very powerful and very evil wizard. He... He killed your parents... He tried to kill you, too, we think, but he couldn't, and that's how you got this." She tapped the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. "He's gone now." Rose was careful with the words she chose, while she hoped Voldemort was dead, she couldn't be sure.
"Do you work at Hogwarts too?" Rose smiled and nodded. "Do you?" He looked at Minerva who smiled.
"Yes, I teach transfiguration." His nose crinkled in confusion, which soon turned into glee when she demonstrated what he'd be learning on a nearby mug.
"I just want to be sure... They didn't tell you anything about us, did they?" Harry shook his head. "Uh, well... Harry, this is Minerva McGonagall, she's my wife, your aunt." Harry's mouth dropped open with surprise. "We have two children- Y'know, this isn't the place for all this." Before she knew it, Albus had apparated them to Hogsmeade.
"What was that?" Albus and Rose laughed.
"That's apparation. Most people vomit the first time." Rose grinned at Harry, he was inquisitive, confident and brave, like his father. "This is Hogsmeade, it's a magical village, there's no muggle's here."
"Muggles?" His nose crinkled again and Rose was shocked how much that made him look like Lily.
"Non-magical folk, like the Dursleys." Harry grinned and looked around. "Would you like to meet your cousins, Harry? We don't have to, it's up to you, of course." The young boy nodded as Rose lead them to the Three Broomsticks, which went pretty much silent as they walked in. Albus was rarely seen around Hogsmeade, and the little, dark haired boy with the lightning bolt scar... Well, he had never been seen around Hogsmeade, but everyone knew who he was. The inn was fairly busy despite the fact it was just mid-afternoon. Rose nodded to the man behind the bar, Steven his name was, he was a Ravenclaw a few years below her at Hogwarts. Minerva walked behind Harry and Rose was in front. They ushered him upstairs before being intercepted by a cloaked, hunched man. He reached his hand out to a visibly frightened Harry, but before he could make contact, before Rose could intervene, Minerva had gripped his wrist and twisted it roughly before pushing him away into a table. As soon as they were upstairs, Isobel and Oliver ran to them, crashing into Rose and hugging her, not noticing the wince of pain cross her face. As they moved away to hug Minvera, accidentally ignoring Harry, Rose gripped the banister and tried to get her breath back. Her adventure through the wall had really injured her, she wasn't sure how much, but it had to be ignored for now. Minerva introduced the children to Harry and they enveloped the nervous boy in a hug too. "C'mon kids, let go of your cousin now..." Rose teased. It wasn't Harry's fault he was nervous, this was all brand new to him.
"Sorry mum." The kids chorused, stepping back, blushing slightly. Rosmerta pushed off the door frame she was leaning on.
"C'mon kids, lets go and get some pumpkin pie!" She ushered the kids into another room, not before stopping next to Minerva. "What happened to Rosie? She looks like she's about to collapse." Minerva was confused until the vision of Rose crashing through the rickety old wall in the shack passed through her mind.
"Will you, uh, let Poppy know?" Rosmerta nodded and followed the kids into the other room. Rose was already sat in the comfortable living room, though every slight movement was taking her breath away. She didn't realize how much pain she was in until she'd gotten to the inn.
"They're very excited to meet you." Minerva caught Rose saying to Harry as she stepped into the room.
"I can't believe I have this other family that I never knew about." Rose smiled sadly.
"If I had my way, you would've never gone to live with them. It just wasn't safe to have you in the wizarding world..."
"Will I live with you now?" He asked tentatively. Albus stepped forward.
"You'll be starting your first year at Hogwarts this evening, Harry. You'll live in the dormitories there."
"But in the school holidays... I'll stay with you, right?" He looked at Rose, his eyes were so like Lily's.
"Unfortunately not. The Dursley's are your official carers until you're 16." Albus spoke and Harry visibly deflated. Before anyone else could speak, Hagrid and Poppy entered the room. "This is Rubeus Hagrid. He'll be taking you to Diagon Alley to collect things you'll need for your school year." Harry didn't want to leave Rose, he'd only just got her.
"Harry, I'd love to take you to Diagon Alley, but trust me, you're in great hands with Hagrid." The young boy smiled meekly. "You'll see me again in no less than six hours." She smiled at him as he left with Hagrid, Albus followed them. Once it was just Rose, Poppy and Minerva in the room, Rose stood, only to go limp and lose her footing slightly.
"Sit back down." Poppy ordered, Rose didn't want to comply but her weak body had other ideas. "What happened to her?"
"She got blasted through a wall." Poppy shook her head.
"Why is it always you, Rosie?" Rose just smiled. "Can you take your shirt off, please?" Rose tried to raise her arms but instead a gasp of pain was released and her arms fell back down. She shook her head and Minerva muttered a spell to remove her shirt, unaware that it would leave her wife very much naked. Rose didn't even have the energy to cover herself, Minerva guided her to lie face down on the sofa so they could see her back.
"Merlin..." Minerva breathed out. There wasn't a section of skin on her back that wasn't either bruised, grazed or bleeding. "Rose?" Minerva asked, kneeling next to her wife and pushing her hair out of her face. Rose's eyes were closed. "Rose, honey?" Rose groaned in response and reached her hand out to hold Minerva's. The movement caused her pain and she growled. "Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?"
"We... Had... Other... Things... To... Do..." Rose spoke through gritted teeth. As soon as Minerva's hand grasped hers, she visibly relaxed. "I didn't know it was like this." She spoke with ease now, which confused Minerva.
"Does it still hurt?" Rose shook her head and Minerva looked at Poppy. "How can it not hurt?" Poppy smiled knowingly.
"You've been together for Merlin knows how long... How can you not know?" Minerva stared at her blankly. "You're, effectively, her painkiller. Her body reacts to you, like with the skin going hot thing... When you're touching her, she can't feel anything other than your touch." Minerva's eyes widened before Poppy turned back to Rose, muttered a few spells and told her to rest. Minerva gestured for them to leave the room.
"Poppy... Why- I don't know how to word this... Why don't I burn up when she touches me?" Poppy smiled.
"You're a smart woman, Minerva, it's hard to believe that you don't know about these things... It's an incredibly ancient magic that only appears in muggle-borns on very rare occasion. I don't know all the details but Rose is much more powerful than we know. There's a lot more to it, Rose knows more than I do." There was a pause as Minerva let it all sink in. "I've done all I can at the moment, she'll be really sore for a few days but luckily she wasn't too badly injured." Poppy smiled and squeezed Minerva's shoulder before leaving. Minerva entered the room where Poppy was lying on the couch, still topless but awake.
"Take me home, please?" Minerva nodded and grabbed Rose's hand as she stood and pulled her shirt on as best she could. "You're gonna have to let go while I get my arm in..." Rose said reluctantly, as soon as Minerva let go, she almost fell to the floor in agony. She thrust her arm into the sleeve and gripped Minerva's hand again, sighing with relief.
"You're amazing." Minerva breathed out. How was it, that after all these years, she was still finding things out about Rose? Rose grinned and pulled them to the next room, popping her head through the door.
"We're going home now, kids, c'mon." Isobel and Oliver looked up with sad eyes.
"Pretty please can we stay? Rosmerta said we could have a sleepover!" Rose looked at Rosmerta and grinned.
"Well if it's okay with Rosmerta..." The kids cheered. "Thanks Ros, and thanks for everything else." Rosmerta had offered to look after the kids when Rose and Minerva were working, they'd get to spend the morning and the night with their children, and pop back on their lunches or free time.
"It's no problem, will you be in after work?" Rose nodded and smiled before leaving.
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Rose and Minerva were sat on the sofa, Rose tucked under Minerva's arm.
"So tell me more about this ancient magic of yours..." Rose chuckled.
"Well, from what I've read, it dates back further than anyone knows. There's different levels of power to it..." She sighed, struggling for the words. "I can't word this like the books can. Basically, the first and lowest level is your skin burning hot when your soulmate touches you. The next level is not feeling any pain when your soulmate touches you. The third is having the ability to perform wordless and wandless magic- I know that other wizards and witches have been able to do that, but it took a lot of training and time for them to do that, I discovered I could do it when I started my job at the Ministry... So we know that I have these levels..."
"There's another one, isn't there?"
"Yeah... It's the final level, it's the most rare, there's only been a handful of people who've been able to do it..."
"What is it?"
"It's the ability to heal during 'intimate relations' with your soulmate." Rose looked at Minerva with hopeful eyes.
"No. Nope. I'm not doing that, Rose, it could seriously hurt you if it doesn't work! I'm not going to do that."
"Oh c'mon! We'll never know if we don't try and... If it doesn't work then it just means that you have to hold my hand all the time!" Rose grinned and began to place soft kisses along Minerva's collar bone.
"Rose, don't..." She breathed out as her head fell back.
"Please Minerva. I can't find out any other way... And plus, I really, really want you right now." The look in Rose's eyes was primal and Minerva couldn't resist it. She attacked Rose's lips with such force that Rose actually gasped, before moaning and straddling Minerva's hips. They broke from the kiss, both breathing heavily. "I'm starting to feel better already." Rose quipped, before Minerva's skilled hands found the zip on Rose's trousers. "Ohhh..." Rose groaned out as Minerva's fingers found her heat. "Please..." She begged before Minerva thrust two fingers into her. Before long, Rose found herself completely out of control. Her head was as far back as her neck would allow, her hips were moving down on Minerva at such a force and such a pace that she thought even if she was able to heal from these 'intimate relations', she'd definitely be injured after this... "I'm... So close." She moaned out as Minerva's other hand pulled her in for a hard kiss.
"I want to see you." That was all it took for Rose's hips to spasm, pulling Minerva's fingers deeper inside of her. They sat with Rose's forehead resting on Minerva's for quite some time as both of their breathing evened out. "How are you feeling?"
"Fantastic!" Minerva beamed with pride. "But you're still touching me so I don't know if it worked... Keep hold of my hand." Rose held Minerva's hand as she moved to sit on the sofa next to Minerva. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Okay, let go..." Minerva slowly pulled her hand away and Rose's eyes flew open. Minerva feared that it hadn't worked and all she had done was hurt her wife further. Rose stood quickly and pulled her tshirt over her head, turning her back to Minerva, who gasped. The cuts, bruises and grazes that once covered her back were now gone with absolutely no sign that they were ever there. "Holy fucking shit." Rose had a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god." Minerva still hadn't spoken. "Oh my god!" Rose's eyes locked with Minerva, who smiled coyly.
"I'm taking all the credit for that."
"Hmm, and so you should, Mrs McGonagall." Rose was on Minerva's lap, peppering kisses over her collar bones. "You really should be rewarded..."
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"How's your back?" Poppy asked Rose at the evening meal after the sorting ceremony.
"Oh... It's much better, thank you." Rose pursed her lips to hide a smile and a flush crept up Minerva's neck at the memories. Poppy smiled and nodded, returning to her food. "I knew he'd be a Gryffindor." Rose spoke quietly to Minerva, beaming with pride.
"Naturally." Minerva spoke back, she was slightly on edge. Something was off in the castle, but she didn't know what.
"He's taken it all so well, finding out he's a wizard, finding out about his past, his parents, us... It's like he's taken it all in his stride." There was a pause. "Very much like James." Minerva discreetly rested her hand on Rose's thigh as they sat in silence for a while. Rose was observing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell, who was talking to another new professor. "Who's that Quirrell is talking to? He looks familiar..." Rose's eyes narrowed, trying to place the face. Minerva turned her head and looked at the dark-haired man talking to Quirrell.
"I think that's Professor Severus Snape, the new potions teacher." Rose choked on her drink and Minverva quirked an eyebrow in confusion.
"It can't be him." Her face had paled, before Minerva could say anything, Albus had tapped Rose on the shoulder and beckoned her to follow him, before sweeping out of the Great Hall. Rose obliged, still reeling from whatever had shocked her.
"Rose, please don't 'kick off'." He used the muggle term to amuse Rose, to delay the oncoming explosion her confusion and anger usually made.
"Do you know who he is?!" Albus nodded. "Surely not! If you did, then you wouldn't have him here-" Albus held up a hand, trying to stop Rose from talking but she continued. "He's a Death Eater! You have a Death Eater start teaching on the exact same day Harry starts here." Rose's nostrils flared. "What the fuck are you thinking?!" Rose usually used more muggle-language when she was experiencing overwhelming emotions. "Well, clearly you're not thinking!" Albus was slightly relieved. Luckily, Rose didn't know the role Severus had accidentally played in her sister's death.
"He's changed, Rose." Rose snorted, rolling her eyes in exaggerated disbelief and her hands rested on her hips.
"Things like that don't change! What makes you think Voldemort didn't tell him to act all goody-goody, to fool you and to infiltrate what is supposed to be a safe haven?!" Rose's chest was heaving with angry draws and exhale's of breath, fueling her speech. "Did you not think that this latest addition to the staff was something you should've shared with us?!" There was a pause as Rose sighed, sadness replacing her anger. "His alliance is with the clan who killed my sister." Rose shook her head at Albus.
"I trust him Rose, in time, you might too." Rose opened her mouth to argue but closed it and turned on her heel, stalking away from Albus and away from the Great Hall. Albus knew better than to try and follow her, there was only one person who could calm her down and that person had no idea Rose was even angry. Albus sighed and stepped into the Great Hall, no one really paid him much attention, apart from one. Minerva. She was staring at him with such worry in her eyes that they were almost shimmering.
"Where's Rose?" She asked as he walked past. He shrugged lightly.
"She's furious." Minerva stood fast, knocking the table slightly. She smiled in apology to the others and turned to Albus.
"Why?" She hissed out.
"Ask Rose, she needs to talk about it more than I." He smiled with sad eyes. Of course he knew what Severus' arrival would do to Rose, but she couldn't know the real reason he was here. She probably wouldn't believe it anyway.
"How can I ask Rose when I don't know where she is?" Sometimes Albus' vague answers were charming, this was not one of those times. The man had already walked to his seat and sat down, leaving her stood with no answers. She took in a deep breath, resisting the urge to hex him. "Excuse me." She said as she left the Great Hall, running the path she had made many times, to her and Rose's quarters. She pushed the door open and shouted Rose's name but there was no answer. Rose wasn't there. Minerva sighed. The castle was a huge place, and she couldn't even guarantee Rose was actually in the castle. With an ease that made her proud, she transformed into her animagus form and tried to follow a scent of Rose. Eventually, she had found Rose, sat on a rock that jutted out just beside the edge of the Black Lake. Her hair and robes were billowing around her, the moonlight giving her an eerie and surreal look. "You're a hard woman to find." Minerva teased, sitting beside Rose.
"I didn't want to be found." Rose said, her voice was low and trembling. The words didn't hurt Minerva, they broke her heart. Rose's voice was broken.
"Why?" Rose sighed and shook her head. "Talk to me." Rose looked at her wife.
"It's always me. I'm the one with all the problems and time after time, I lose control and I burden you with all my issues. I don't remember one time where you lost your temper and needed me to calm you down. I-" Rose sighed as tears streaked down her face. "I'm so selfish. It's not fair that all these things that happen to me become your problems." There was a pause. "I'm so sorry." Her voice was so quiet that Minerva almost missed the apology.
"Let's start at the top... Rose, your 'problems' aren't your fault. They're just things that happen to you." Minerva sighed. "Yes, I hate that these things happen to you, but not because of their direct effect on me. I hate seeing you suffering. Secondly, I've lost my temper countless times and you have had to calm me down, you just don't remember." Minerva smiled at Rose, eliciting a small, teary smile from her wife. "And I like being the only one that can calm you down, the only one that can make you smile when you're crying." Minerva's hands cupped Rose's cheeks as she wiped tears away with her thumbs. "In fact, I love being the only one. It makes me feel important and special, Rose, and it says so much about you. It reminds me that I'm your wife, your soulmate. It reminds me that you're my wife, my soultmate." They sat there in silence with Minerva's hands still on Rose's face.
"I think our lives are only going to get more and more emotional." Minerva laughed.
"I don't care as long as I have you." She said as she pressed her lips to Rose's forehead.
"Always."