AN: *takes a deep breath* So many edits... so many. T_T

I had to kill so many of my darlings in this chapter and if you're a writer, you know how hard that is, even if the flow is ultimately better for it.

Thank you all so much for your reviews! I just adore reading your thoughts and feelings and input! Your words have definitely been inspiration for me to hammer down hard on this chapter and get it to where it needed to be in time for posting today so I appreciate it greatly.

I'm hoping for a Wednesday update. I'm not nearly as far ahead as I'd like to be so here's to hoping I can manage to pull out a miracle this weekend.

Please enjoy this chapter, quite possibly my longest chapter to date!

Cedric was pacing nervously back and forth as he had been for some time. Sofia had been gone for hours with no sight or sound of her and he was beginning to fear the absolute worst. He couldn't help but feel that he should have followed her despite her directions otherwise. There was no telling what could have happened to her in his absence and now his mind was running wild with the possibilities.

Had she been captured by guards? Did her friends turn on her? Did Grimtrix catch up to them once more?

It was all too terrifying to think about and it was driving him to the brink of his sanity to try and stay obediently behind when the woman he loved was potentially facing her end. He was near to saying to hell with Sofia's insistence that he stay behind. He was ready to climb back down from the loft and go off in search of her when the sound of footsteps entering the barn gave him both cause for concern and relief.

He stayed frozen in his spot as he heard someone climbing the ladder but as soon as Sofia's face came into view his tension melted. He rushed over to the ladder and reached out to help her up quickly, examining her in concern upon seeing the worn expression on her features. "I was starting to get overly worried. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Sofia muttered as she joined Cedric in the hayloft. "There were some complications but everything is more or less figured out now. We're ready to move forward."

Cedric stared at Sofia curiously as she stood before him with something in hand under her cloak. He had assumed it was a wand so it came as quite a surprise when she produced a wine bottle that had been emptied of its contents and refilled with a familiar, florescent green fluid. He looked the bottle over a moment before returning his eyes to Sofia's face. "What is that?"

"It's a potion that will help bring back your memories." Sofia said, clutching the bottle tightly. "These memories will come to you as dreams so it won't take effect immediately."

"Dreams?" Cedric asked, cocking an eyebrow at the bottle in the woman's hands. "Why are we using this? Why not a wand?"

"I wasn't able to get another wand." Sofia replied. "Only a handful of witches stayed in Enchancia after the magic ban so we're limited on what is available to us. Without a wand this is our only option."

Cedric reached for the bottle and took it from Sofia's hands to examine it closely. Without even needing to bring it to his nose he could smell that it was something he'd had experience with before. His eyes flickered up to Sofia's face dubiously before looking back down at the bottle. "This is what Grimtrix gave me. His experimental potion."

"What?" Sofia's eyes widened before her brow furrowed in confusion. "But... but that doesn't make any sense. He was very adamant, he didn't want me returning your memories to you. Why would he give you something that would do that anyway?"

"I don't know." Cedric replied quietly. "Of course, he never gave me quite this much. Only a teaspoon at a time. And he never told me the reason for it."

Sofia looked Cedric over in worry at the thought. Grimtrix's actions seemed in conflict with what he'd said to her about keeping Cedric oblivious about his past. His motives for this were an absolute mystery and there had to be something to it, though it wasn't something she felt she needed to fret over at the moment. She had much bigger concerns. She motioned to the bottle and looked to Cedric expectantly. "You should drink it. The sooner you drink the sooner you can go to sleep. Then you'll dream and hopefully with those dreams will come the knowledge that will help get Rhys back."

Cedric looked from the bottle to Sofia once more, a disconcerting realization creeping over him at the idea of drinking the potion. "Miss Sofia, what happens afterward? I'll have those memories but without a wand..."

Sofia let out an uncomfortable sigh and took a seat on the hay covered floor of the loft. She knew where Cedric was going with his words before he trailed off and despite the uncomfortable subject she knew she had to answer him. "I'm really hoping that Indigo will let me use her wand to wipe your memory when this is all over but there's always the possibility that you'll have to retain these memories."

"I was afraid you would say that." Cedric said in disappointment as he took a seat beside Sofia and sat the bottle at arms length away. He stared at it warily, afraid to drink it at the thought of what it would do and the fact that its effects were potentially irreversible.

"Cedric, I know this isn't ideal." Sofia said meekly. "I know this isn't what we agreed upon but I still need you to do this. Please."

Cedric sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He turned his attention to Sofia and wrapped his arms around himself tightly. "I'm going to be honest, Miss Sofia, this scares the absolute hell out of me. I used to want to know who I was so badly but now that I've had a glimpse of the monster I used to be the last thing I want is to regain those memories. Knowing that there's a possibility I might not be free of them ever again is even scarier. I don't want to be that person. It terrifies me to think of what I'll become and what might happen to us as a result."

"T-to us?" Sofia stammered, blinking at Cedric in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Cedric locked eyes with Sofia momentarily before darting them away. "Nothing. Never mind."

"Cedric, please." Sofia said, scooting ever so slightly closer to him. "You said us. What did you mean by that?"

Cedric shifted a bit uncomfortably and returned his gaze to he woman reluctantly. "Miss Sofia, I-I've made it no secret how I feel about you. I love you and I... I know that it's probably just a foolish fantasy but I was thinking that we might, perhaps, remain together after this."

Sofia stared at Cedric with wide eyes, not entirely certain how to respond to him. "Y-you thought that we would stay together?"

"I don't mean to say that I actually believed it would happen. It was just a thought I had." Cedric explained quickly. "I'm not really sure what you plan to do after this. I don't know what you intend to do about your husband, whether you mean to return to him or not. I'm not here to make judgments either way and if you choose to be with him, that's your business. After all, you have children together and from what I've read, marital bonds are considered to be extremely important in society so I would understand, in a way." He paused and averted his gaze again as he let out a heavy sigh. "But if you chose not to return to him I... I would be there for you. I would like to be there for you, I mean, to help you and keep you safe."

Sofia's heart skipped a beat at Cedric's words. The very idea that he'd been thinking about staying by her side, eager to care for her and protect her, was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She stared at him, absolutely flabbergasted and unsure what to say. She drew in a sharp breath just as he lifted his eyes to make contact with hers and she could see the level of heartbreak in them. "Cedric-"

"Miss Sofia, you don't have to say anything. I realize that you don't feel the same for me as I do for you and that's perfectly fine. I was a murderer and a monster; not much better of a man than Grimtrix, I believe were your words." Cedric did his best to muster a small, lopsided smile as he tried to maintain eye contact with the woman despite how badly it hurt to hold her gaze. "Why would you want to have someone like that around? I'm sure you can't wait to be rid of me."

"Cedric..." Sofia shook her head as the tears that had risen to her eyes began to fall. "It isn't that I want to be rid of you. It's just that I-"

"It's okay, Miss Sofia. I understand." Cedric said softly as he reached up to catch a tear that had cascaded down her cheek. "Even with a wand and the ability to remove the memories, I'm sure the idea of having me around would've been the last thing that you wanted. Now that there's a possibility I'll have to retain those awful memories you'll want to distance yourself from me even more-so. It's only logical." He lowered his eyes to the ground once more and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm well aware that it was stupid of me to hope for some sort of future with you. And... I suppose it doesn't really matter what becomes of me after I drink that wretched potion because once we part ways you-"

Cedric found himself silenced then in the most peculiar and wonderful way. Sofia had turned to him, grabbed him by the fabric of his cloak and pressed her mouth over his. Tears were streaming down her face and her body was quaking but she was kissing him and that brought a whole new mess of tangled thoughts jumbling about in his head. He tried to ignore the thoughts for the time being because the kiss was far too delightful to let anything taint it.

He sat lip-locked with her for a moment before gently pushing her back so that he could brush away the tears from her face. She was staring up at him, her beautiful cerulean eyes dancing from the light seeping in through the worn boards of the barn walls and reflecting off the tears that remained. He made an effort to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat and opened his mouth to question her, though that ended in failure when she leaned in and grabbed his cloak once more to pull him into another kiss.

This was a far more forceful interaction; lips parting to allow tongues to meet, slow and timid at first but swiftly drifting into the realm of needful and overwhelming.

It felt as though someone had knocked the air from his lungs as Sofia pressed forward. Her hands had moved into his hair and she was guiding him in a deep, passionate kiss. His own hands felt empty and eager to touch any part of her that she would allow. He moved one hand cup the back of her head while the other fell to the small of her back. He could feel her shifting, drawing closer to him until he found her seated in his lap.

Things were beginning to happen to his body, innate in their nature though they still gave him cause for panic. His breath was shallow and his heart was pounding so erratically it felt as though it might beat out of his chest. He was quite certain that Sofia could feel the rigid length of him pressing itself eagerly against her through the fabric of their clothing. It was all wonderful and perplexing and, if he was being honest, a bit terrifying as well.

In his mind he was conflicted. The things he was feeling were intoxicating and although the sensations were relatively new to him the knowledge of what was happening to him and why was not lost on him. He'd read his fair share of books and he understood not only the mechanics but the social constructs as well. What they were doing would certainly be frowned upon from a moral standpoint, particularly because Sofia was a married woman.

To make matters worse, he was well aware that she had complicated feelings for her husband and those weren't things that were simply going to go away in the wake of a few heated moments. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any further difficulties down the line, even if the only thing he could picture himself doing in that moment was lowering her to the floor of the loft and letting his every visceral desire take over.

He forced himself to pull back before his basest instincts could grab hold of him. He gulped for air and kept unsteady hands on Sofia to keep her at bay as she continued to pull at him almost desperately. "M-Miss Sofia, we sh-shouldn't be doing this. You have a husband and-"

Sofia pushed past Cedric's vain attempts to hold her back, reclaiming his mouth against hers so that he could no longer protest.

She was full of turbulent emotions, battling herself over her own actions. There would be no going back from this point, she realized, especially if he regained his memories permanently. She would never be able to escape from him after this because he would never let her get away. Every instinct was telling her that she should run as far as she could from him and the feelings he was igniting within her but the only thing she wanted to do was pull him against her and never let him go. She felt as though she didn't want to be without him ever again and though she understood fully that those feelings were likely to change with the reclamation of his memory, it didn't seem to matter terribly much at the moment.

She pulled back from the kiss and gasped for air as she clasped his face in her hands. "Don't ever leave me, Cedric."

"I won't." Cedric blurted out thoughtlessly, eager to agree with whatever she demanded of him. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her tightly against him as she kissed him hungrily once more. All former concerns were pushed to the wayside upon her request that he never leave her. Those simple words expressed far more than even her kiss could and he knew that despite his earlier beliefs, she felt just as strongly for him as he did for her. Morality and marriage be damned, he was not going to let anything stop him from being with the woman he loved.

Sofia gasped as she felt Cedric easing her from his lap to return her to the floor of the hayloft. She looked up at him and the heavy blush on his face as he pulled back long enough to raise tentative hands to untie his cloak from around his shoulders. She had little patience for this school-boy shyness he was exuding and it was practically torture to watch him undress. The tunic he wore was next to go, joining the cloak in a somewhat calculated pile on the floor beside her. Her anxious hands flew to the latch that kept her own cloak in place and she tore the fabric from her body to spread it across the crude pallet Cedric was forming over the hay.

Her heart was in her throat as she looked to him. He was kneeling before her, sliding uneasy fingers under the delicate cap sleeves of her dress to push the soft muslin garment down at an agonizingly slow pace. His eyes were so intent on hers and speaking to her soul all that he was thinking and feeling.

He wanted her, needed her, now and always.

Despite the warm summer air her flesh prickled with goosebumps as he painstakingly removed the dress from his path. The paper-thin chemise she wore underneath was just as cautiously discarded and both items joined the growing pile to her left.

Trembling hands were then pulling her up with care and repositioning her onto the makeshift bed in trepidation. Her own body was quivering in anticipation as Cedric fumbled with his trousers for what felt like an eternity before he successfully freed his legs. He bunched the pants up quickly and reached to ease her head up, giving her something of a pillow to further assure her comfort.

Then he knelt over her, supporting himself on one arm while his free hand moved to grace over her cheek. She could see a level of uncertainty on his features as his fingers drifted to her shoulder and down her arm, stroking her flesh gently as though he was acquainting himself with her body. Although it had been less than a year since he had touched her so intimately it felt as though it had been a lifetime and she was starving for the feel of him. Her body arched into his hand as it trailed across her breasts cautiously, gracing each pert nipple before moving lower to her abdomen.

She felt a momentary flicker of insecurity then. Her form had changed dramatically over the course of the past nine months and although she had done what she could to repair her body for her journey, there were still some things that magic couldn't heal. The marks etched into her flesh by the growth of her womb were apparent, even in the minimal light peeking in through the cracks of the barn. Her stomach was no longer the flat, taught surface it once used to be either. Fears that Cedric might not find her attractive any longer began to prey on her mind and caused her to flinch away from his touch rather than embrace it.

He seemed to sense her hesitation because he pulled back from her immediately, concern lining every inch of his face.

"Do you want me to stop?" Cedric asked as his eyes floated over the face of the woman beneath him. He found an expression there too unfamiliar to read and it gave him nothing but worry that he had done something wrong. "If this isn't what you want, I'll-"

"I don't want you to stop." Sofia whispered as she wrapped her arms around her middle to cover herself. "It's just that... my body has changed since-"

Cedric shook his head immediately in protest of her self-criticism. "Miss Sofia, you are more lovely than I have words to describe. Please don't cover yourself."

Sofia shifted a bit, slowly unwrapping her arms from around her body. "But-"

"Your body tells a beautiful story." Cedric said, taking up one of the woman's hands to guide it to his face where he kissed her palm and flashed her an amorous smile. "You don't have to hide from me."

"Cedric..." Sofia spoke but the rest of her words diminished with a sigh as he took her mouth against his and kissed her tenderly. All her uncertainties began melting away one by one as he lowered himself over her. She parted her legs to make way for him and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the tip of him pressed against her opening.

Cedric pulled back from the kiss to look down at Sofia. He half expected to see apprehension on her face but she only stared up at him from under heavy eyelids, pleading with him non-verbally to continue. He sucked in a deep breath and pressed forward, sliding slowly and patiently into the soft haven that awaited him.

A moan of pleasure rose up loudly from Sofia's throat as she felt Cedric entering her. It had been so long, too long, and it felt so, so wonderful. She wrapped her arms around him and placed her hands upon his back to encourage him as he began slight, measured thrusts within her. She wanted so much more but he was uncertain in his actions and she knew she would have to coax what she wanted out of him. She rolled her hips up against his to entice him, earning a loud gasp in reply. She repeated the action to ease him out of his timidness, again and again until he began responding to her need.

Cedric drove the length of himself deeper within Sofia as she brought her hips up to meet with his. A whimper of approval escaped her parted lips, sending a hot flash of desire shooting through him, enough to give him the confidence he needed to continue at this new pace. He held himself up on two trembling limbs as he took in the sight of the beautiful woman beneath him.

Her eyes were glossy with desire and her cheeks were flushed as she gasped and panted and moaned with his every thrust inside her. He was having a hard time keeping his own vocalizations in check. Every plunge into the fiery warmth of her womanhood tempted cries of pleasure that he tried desperately to swallow down for fear that he might displease her. It was difficult to mask, however. She was still matching his thrusts with her own tantalizing rhythm and her nails were beginning to dig into him which provided a strange sense of familiarity accompanied by feelings of lust and hunger for her. He lowered himself back over her to place soft, delicate pecks along her shoulder and that was when he lost the battle to remain silent. He couldn't help the string of audible expletives that fell shamefully from his mouth as her tongue darted out hotly against the whorl of his ear.

Sofia gave a pleased smirk as Cedric hissed his curses against her bare shoulder. The fact that she could elicit such a reaction from him only made her want to do so over and over until she had him at his breaking point. She pressed her open mouth to his throat and ran her tongue across the sensitive flesh there, stopping to lap at the rapid pulse beating underneath. She received a low groan from him before he quickened his movements, shifting to grab hold of her and pull her closer against him.

His left hand slipped underneath her and clasped her shoulder while the other trailed lower, gliding delicately over her backside before sliding down her thigh. He was tugging at her desperately so she appeased him by raising her leg to wrap around him, easing his access and allowing him deeper.

Her head fell back against the makeshift pillow as a throaty moan expelled itself from her lips at the feeling of the length of him striking so deeply within her. She wanted him to know that she approved, that she wanted more, so she grasped the back of his head and pulled him into a needy kiss as she began driving her hips upward much more forcefully.

"Damn it all..." Cedric breathed out against Sofia's lips as she rewarded him with vigorous reciprocation to his movements. "I-I feel like I can't get enough of you."

Sofia let her hand slide from the back of Cedric's head to his cheek and stared up at him longingly as she moaned in agreement. "Mmm... it's the same for me. It's been so long I almost forgot how it feels to be in your arms."

Cedric froze in his motions and pulled back to look at Sofia in confusion as her words fully registered through the fog their love-making had created in his mind. "Wait, th-this isn't the first time we..."

Sofia's eyes widened as she realized the fumble of her words. She stared at Cedric as he stared back at her, both of their faces frozen in mortification. "Cedric, I-"

"We've done this before." Cedric muttered, looking over Sofia's face for answers he knew she wouldn't give to him. His eyes remained locked with her worry-filled gaze for what felt like an eternity. Her chest was heaving and his heart was racing but it wasn't from their actions. It was the palpable intensity between the two of them at this new revelation.

The part of him that yearned to know the exact circumstances of their prior tryst was screaming for him to pull away from her and demand answers but that would lead to nowhere except disappointment. Sofia had kept many things from him and it seemed that she'd had a reason for every single one. This was likely no different, and although it hurt to think that she had hidden such information he knew there was certainly a reason for it.

He raised one hand cautiously to her face and brushed his fingers across her cheek. An affectionate smile returned to his features as he lowered himself down to whisper against her ear. "You know what? I love you, Miss Sofia. That's all that matters. I love you and I never want to be without you ever again."

Sofia gasped at Cedric's declaration. Tears were rising to her eyes and relief was flooding every inch of her. As he pulled back to look at her she felt overcome with emotion. She grasped the back of his head and pulled him into a passionate kiss long enough to convey her feelings before she broke the contact so that she could vocalize them as well. "I love you, Cedric."

"Y-you do?" Cedric managed to ask before the lump rising in his throat cut off his ability to speak. He stared down at Sofia in awe, his heart swelling to the point it felt it might burst. He drew her into his arms and held her tightly as he reclaimed her mouth against his. Their tongues shared a delicate dance as she wrapped her arms around him and held to him as though she was never going to release him.

Her hips shifted, barely noticeable at first but the longer they shared their kiss the more apparent her movements became. He returned the gesture, rocking against her enough to bring forth whimpers of pleasure, not only from her but himself as well. Everything was so overwhelming in that instant it was almost too much. Then Sofia broke their kiss and let fall a beautiful cry of approval and he lost any bit of resolve he had left.

An intoxicating sensation rushed over him like a stampede of ecstasy as he felt Sofia flutter. She was clinging to him as needfully as he clung to her, both panting loudly into the electric atmosphere they had created between them. He felt his release come in pulsing waves, beating against his sanity until it felt like there was nothing left. When the rapture ebbed it left them latched onto each other and gasping for breaths that seemed to never be enough. Euphoria was rushing in on him, filling him with more joy and warmth than he could ever recall feeling.

He pulled reluctantly away from Sofia but he didn't go far from her. He lowered himself to the makeshift bed beside her as he heaved for air. His hand drifted up to her cheek and to his delight, she rolled over to face him. The smile that crawled to his face was now making itself at home as he stared at the beautiful woman before him. "You said you love me."

Sofia nodded, admiring the joyful expression on her husband's face. "Yes I did."

"Did you mean it?" Cedric asked a bit apprehensively, though Sofia didn't seem the type to make such bold declarations if she didn't mean them.

"Yes, Cedric. I meant it." Sofia whispered softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Cedric replied as he continued to stare at her with so much adoration that it nearly hurt to look at her. She was returning his attention with equal affection; her open palm pressed warmly against his chest where his heart was beating wildly for her. He grasped the appendage and brought it to his lips to gift it with a kiss before replacing it securely in its previous spot. "Miss Sofia, I-"

"Just Sofia. Please." Sofia said with a small laugh and a shake of her head. "It feels so strange for you to call me Miss."

"Sofia." Cedric voiced cautiously. "I suppose there's no need for formalities now that we've... well, there was never any need, was there?" He looked her over hopefully, though he knew the likelihood of her answering any questions now were just as slim as when they had been in the midst of their act. "This wasn't the first time we..."

"Made love?" Sofia said quietly, her hand shrinking away from Cedric's chest only for him to capture it and place it back. She looked at him in uncertainty a moment before relenting to continue. "No, this wasn't the first time. But this was the first time it felt like making love, at least for me, anyhow."

Cedric looked at Sofia in worry. Immediate concern that he had done something awful to her in their past filled him to the brim with panic. "I-I never forced you, did I? If I did-"

Sofia shook her head quickly to reassure Cedric as his features contorted in horror. "No, it was never anything like that. I was always a willing participant. I just... felt differently about you back then."

"You didn't love me." Cedric said knowingly. "Did I at least love you?"

Sofia looked Cedric over, wavering on whether or not to answer truthfully. Too much information and he might realize that he was the wretched husband she had spoken so harshly about. Discovering that now without the aid of his memories to ease him into the idea might be far too upsetting for him to accept. She lowered her gaze away from him and took in a deep breath before she responded. "You told me that you did but because of the man you were I had a hard time believing it. Knowing what I know now though, I was wrong to doubt you back then. I certainly don't doubt you now."

"I'm glad." Cedric replied, smiling widely as he ran his hand across Sofia's cheek and into her hair. "If I felt anything for you then like I feel for you now I must have loved you fiercely. I'm sorry that you had reason to doubt that back then, but if you'll let me, I'd like to spend the rest of my life giving you every reason not to doubt me ever again... starting with this."

Sofia watched in curiosity as Cedric pulled away from her and reached out to take the bottle he had earlier placed away from him as though it was poison. She stared wide eyed as he brought the bottle to his lips and chugged the potion down without hesitation. When he was finished he moved back to where she lay and scooped up her hands, alternating loving kisses along them.

"Let's get some sleep." Cedric said as he reclaimed his spot beside the woman. "And hopefully, come tomorrow, I'll have everything I need to bring Rhys back to you."

Sofia looked Cedric over in silent adoration as he pulled her into his arms. She allowed her head to rest against his chest, hoping beyond all hope that he would indeed wake with the knowledge required to bring their son back to them. Her eyes fluttered shut as she snuggled up to him, taking real, shameless comfort in his arms for the first time. "Goodnight, Cedric."

"Goodnight, my love..."

AN #2: Chapter title comes from "Tonight Tonight" by Smashing Pumpkins which has been a HUGE inspiration for this chapter waaaaaaaaay back when I was still working on Offer Your Throat to the Wolf so I highly suggest giving the lyrics a read or listening to the song (though, if you're one of those people who just can't stand Billy Corgan's voice, there are plenty of covers out there to listen to as well.)

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!