Authors Note: A little spoiler alert, and an apology. Sorry ahead of time guys, I'm not good at writing romantic scenes, I can never find a way to write it well enough to really stand out. I'm working on it though so please bear with me. The one near the end of this chapter is brief but implies whats going on...

Also, I noticed a few minor errors in the storyline and made the proper changes regarding Severus and Alexis' wands. Sorry if it caused any confusion. I had written that she had his but that is not the case. He gave her wand back and kept his I'm not sure why I had written that she had his. I guess I was a bit tired while I was writing and just didn't catch it until now. My apologies.

Chapter Ten: Runaway

Severus returned to his office later that night and opened his potion cabinet. Searching the shelves he quickly located two small vials labeled 'Polyjuice' and one labeled 'Recovery' and placed them inside his coat pocket. He then entered his room and took a a matching set of clothes from his dresser and enchanted them so they would shrink to the size of a galleon and placed them in another pocket. He needed to hurry, since they would need to move tonight.

After the preparations were complete, he met Remus at the edge of the grounds and they disapparated to the Riddle manor. They arrived at a hill overlooking the manor and awaiting them was a massive shaggy black dog.

"I see you found the place alright Sirius." Remus said as he patted Sirius' head. Sirius gave a bark and then took off into the woods behind them.

"Are you ready Severus?"

"I have to be." With those words he disapparated down to the gate below and swallowed hard before heading up the path to the front door. He knocked and Wormtail answered moments later.

"Severus...what brings you here at this hour?"

"I have come to see Lord Voldemort. Are you going to let me in or do I have to move you myself?" He glared at the tiny man before him and Wormtail quickly moved aside.

"I'll let the master know you've arrived. Come." He motioned for Severus to follow him and they headed for Voldemort's study.

"Master?" Wormtail squeaked. "Severus is here to see you..."

"Is he now? Let him in."

Severus stepped into the study and approached Voldemort as he sat in a large armchair by a marble fireplace. The light of the fire flickered against his snake-like face as he grinned at Severus.

"My boy, I heard about what happened. I am glad to see you are not seriously injured. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I wish to see the traitor. I am not happy about her actions against me and I want to make sure she knows her place."

Voldemort looked at Severus and a twisted grin appeared on his face.

"Is that so? Well I have already punished her this evening...so she may not be much fun for you...but I do not blame you for wanting vengeance..." He waved his hand and continued to grin.

"Take as much time as you need. She is in the cells. Try to have some fun with her after you beat her. I think she likes it rough..." He chuckled and Severus bowed before leaving the room. He felt sick thinking about what Voldemort had done to Alexis...and he could feel his insides shaking as he reached the cellar door.

He closed the door behind him and proceeded down the stairs and to another door leading to the cells. As he shut the door behind him it didn't take him long to spot Alexis. She lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, her clothes torn and soaked in blood, and her body badly bruised and beaten.

He sat beside her and gently picked her up. She was alive, but her body was cold. He whispered her name over and over until she eventually came to.

"S...Sev..."

"Shhh. Yes it's me. I'm here to get you out. Can you drink this?" He pulled the vial of recovery potion from his pocket and she slowly nodded. He gripped the cork in his teeth and opened the bottle, then held it to her mouth. As she drank, the potion warmed her from the inside out and she could feel her strength returning to her.

Alexis felt much better, and she sat up on her own before throwing her arms around Severus.

"How am I going to get out, He'll know if I'm gone..." She looked at him as he pulled another vial from his pocket.

"Alexis, I need to you to listen carefully, we don't have a lot of time. I need you to drink this right now, then change into these." He pulled the clothes from his pocket and with his wand returned them to their normal size.

"We're going to switch places. Once you change into my clothes no one will know. Also there are clothes for you in the left pants pocket, the enlargement spell is 'Engorgio'. There are two members of the order waiting for you in the woods on the hill above the manor and one of them is an animagus but he wont harm you."

"But what about you?"

"I will be fine. I have a potion too. Take off your clothes and change in the ones I gave you, do it now. Once we switch and you're out of here I'm going to bring the manor down, Voldemort will escape, but he will think you're dead. I can apparate out and no one will know."

Alexis froze. her dream coming back to her. The burning image of the manor filled her mind and she looked at Severus as her eyes began to water.

"You're going to burn this place aren't you?"

"How did you..."

"I just do...I'll explain it later. Please be safe...and thank you." She kissed his forehead and hurried to change into the spare clothes. Once she finished she handed hers to Severus and he pulled a hair from his head and placed it in the vial before handing it to her. It turned a bluish green color and she downed it one gulp. Moments later she could feel her body changing. He bones stretched and her hair shortened, it made her dizzy but it passed quickly.

Looking down at herself she saw she was no longer Alexis, but then her eyes quickly moved to the woman in front of her. She knew it was Severus, but seeing the battered body scared her more...

"You only have an hour, Go!" Severus gave her wand back to her, the vials and then pushed her out of the cell. Alexis stuffed the items in her pockets and took one last look at him before hurrying out of the room and up the stairs. Alexis slowly stepped into the hallway and saw a figure approaching...

"Oh no..." She thought as she watched Voldemort approach her.

"So my boy, did you enjoy yourself? That whore will think twice before crossing us again." He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder, not realizing who he was really speaking to.

"I think it is time for me to retire for the night. You should go back before that senile old fool realizes you're gone. After all you have classes to teach!" He said sarcastically as he walked past Alexis and out of sight up the nearby flight of stairs. She let out a relieved sigh and made her way to the front door. Once she was far enough away she made a run for the woods and up the hill that overlooked the manor. unfortunately, she ended up getting lost along the way. As she wandered the woods she saw the sky above began to disappear as the trees became thicker.

She had wandered for about 45 minutes when she began to feel her clothes becoming loose. Alexis realized the potion must be wearing off. Reaching into the pants pocket she found a tiny pair of her pants, a shirt, and shoes. She whispered the enlargement spell and quickly changed into her clothes. They fit perfectly. Now she just needed to find her way out of these woods. Tucking her wand in her pocket she continued onward.

Suddenly a noise behind her made her jump and squeak, and she spun around to see a massive dog, growling as it approached her. Severus had told her about one of the order members being an animagus but she didn't think they would be something that frightening. She began to back away when she tripped on a root and landed on her backside.

"N...nice doggy..." She slid back against the tree and then she closed her eyes, covered her face, and cried.

"Don't eat me!"

The dog looked at her puzzled and then whined. Alexis lowered her hands and peeked out at the creature. it was now lying on the ground and whining sadly as it looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are...are you an animagus? She whispered and the dog's ears perked up. His tail wagged and he rolled over on his back, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Alexis smiled. The dog didn't seem so scary now...

"Can you change back into a person?" The dog sat back up and suddenly began to change, then a tall, thin, dark-haired man approached her, offering her a hand up.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. Long story short I spent many years as a dog, and I am usually quite loveable, but that's a story for later. My name is Sirius. You must be Alexis. Come, the others should be..." He stopped as he sniffed the air.

"Smoke...Severus! Come with me!" Sirius grabbed her hand and they ran off towards the direction of the smoke. After a few minutes she could hear voices and she saw the edge of the woods.

"...too late Severus!"

"...She can't be in there still...she had to get out!"

Suddenly they spun around at the sound of footsteps behind them and saw Sirius and Alexis running towards them. Sirius let go of Alexis' hand and stopped to breathe. Severus ran up to her and grabbed her. He held her tightly, not wanting to let go. Alexis gripped the back of his cloak tightly and buried her face in his chest as she began to cry.

Remus and Sirius looked at the two, then at each other.

"Did you know they..."

"Not a clue my friend..."

"Who would have thought a greaseball like him could land a pretty little thing like that..."

"Be nice Sirius."

"That is me being nice."

"I hope you know that I can hear you, you fleabag." Severus called out and Remus laughed.

"Anyway, if you two are finished, we need to get this young lady to safety. The others are waiting for us at headquarters." Remus said as he tapped his watch. Severus let go of Alexis and turned to Remus.

"She's not staying under the same roof as that Remus." He nodded towards Sirius.

"Now is not the time to argue, we can figure that out later."

"He's right Severus, we need to leave..."

"Fine...Hold on to me." Alexis gripped his arm and they disapparated.

When they reached Grimmauld place they hurried inside and Alexis was immediately snatched into a bear hug by Molly Weasley.

"Oh you poor thing! Look at you! Covered in bruises and cuts! You're safe now, he won't find you here sweetheart. Let's go get you cleaned up, I've got just the thing to get rid of all that." Molly ushered Alexis up the stairs and to the nearest bathroom, fussing over her every step of the way.

"So Severus, fill us in on what happened. Albus is waiting in the kitchen." Arthur led the three into the kitchen where Albus, Tonks, and Minerva sat waiting for them.

"Where is Miss Stowecroft?" Dumbledore asked as the others took their seats.

"Molly took her upstairs to clean her up." Arthur said as he settled into his chair.

"Very well, I shall speak to her later on. Severus, please give us the details of the rescue."

Severus took a deep breath and began his account of that night.

"After I switched places with Alexis I waited for enough time to pass where I wouldn't be placed under suspicion and started the fire in the cell. I cast a flame freezing charm upon myself and disapparated to the grounds nearby. As we hoped, Voldemort fled with Wormtail and they didn't bother to check for Alexis. I then took off to meet up with Remus, but when I arrived I saw that Alexis was not with him...I feared she may not have escaped but she showed up shortly after with Siruis."

"Poor kid got lost in the woods. I was still in my dog form when I found her and accidentally scared the daylights out of her..." Sirius forced back a smile and continued.

"...I took her to the edge of the woods and we met up with Remus and Severus. Overall it went well. I think too well though...Something about what happened tonight is bothering me but I don't really know why."

"What matters is that she's safe." Arthur said as he got up to pour himself some coffee.

"Is she going to stay here, I'm afraid she can't return to the school...we have to act as if she's dead don't we?" Minerva asked.

"True...though I would prefer she didn't stay here."

"Are you really that jealous Severus? I'm not going to steal her from you if that why you're getting all stuffy. Though she is rather pretty..."

Severus clenched his jaw and glared at Sirius.

"No. While I don't like you, that isn't the reason. I think she should stay at my home in Spinner's End. No one on Voldemort's side knows about it, and the same charms that protect this place here are also protecting my home, as well as a few of my own protective charms. Also I have the fireplace there connected to my room at Hogwarts so I can check in on her if needed or if there is an emergency she can floo herself to the school. Neither of which can be done from here.

"I think we should let Alexis decide." Tonks piped up and there were mutterings of agreement.

"Speaking of which, Its been a while, I'm going to go check on her and Molly." Tonks excused herself and left the room.

Tonks headed up the stairs, tripping a few times as she went, and arrived outside the first floor bathroom. She knocked on the door identified herself, then Molly opened the door and stepped out to speak to Tonks.

"They're trying to decide where she should stay but I asked them to let her choose, so when she's ready she can come to the kitchen and tell them. How is she?"

"Shaken, but better. Shes having a shower. Poor dear had so many cuts and bruises from head to toe we ended up using almost all of my Star Grass Salve. I'll have to ask Severus for more later. I also had to cut her hair. It was so matted with blood I couldn't fix it, it was down to her waist, now it's around her shoulders. Also...there were bruises along her thighs that looked an awful lot like hand prints..." Molly began to tear up as she spoke.

"You don't think he..."

"I think he did...Just to be safe I slipped a contraceptive potion into her glass of water." She whispered.

They heard the water shut off and Molly opened the door a crack.

"Alexis dear, come to the kitchen when you're done, they need to talk to you."

"Alright...Molly?"

"Yes dear?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let me know if there's anything else you need. We'll see you downstairs."

"Okay."

Alexis heard the door close and she picked up the towel hanging nearby. After drying off she looked at herself in the mirror and was amazed at how well that salve worked. There were no more cuts or bruises to be found. She was a little saddened that her hair was so short now, but she decided to braid it and found she liked it better that way. Once she had dressed, she found her way to the kitchen where everyone was waiting for her.

"Alexis, we would like to ask you where you would prefer to stay for the time being." Dumbledore began and he explained to her the option of living at Grimmauld Place or in Severus' home at Spinner's End.

Alexis chose Spinner's End. She said that while she greatly appreciated Sirius' kind offer to share his home, she wanted to be able to reach Severus if needed. No one argued the point, as they all felt as if they should be walking on eggshells around her. Minerva agreed to pack Alexis' belongings and have Severus bring them by later. After everyone began to depart after a long night, Dumbledore pulled Severus aside to speak to him privately.

"Why don't we cancel your class in the morning? I think you need a day to rest as well Severus. You've both been through a lot and I think she would like to be able to have some time to spend with you. I will take care of the class arrangements, so go on and take her home."

He patted Severus on the shoulder and Severus thanked him. Severus then returned to the kitchen for Alexis.

"Are you ready to leave?"

Alexis nodded sleepily and held on to Severus' arm. They stepped outside and disapparated, arriving moments later outside a brick building in an empty, dusty village. Upon entering Severus' home she saw that it looked much nicer than the outside would have let on. The sitting room had shelves upon shelves of books, many regarding potions and apothecary. It was warm, and she yawned, not being able to take in any more of her surroundings at the moment. Severus led her down the hall and asked her to wait for a moment.

He entered his bedroom and quickly cast cleaning spells throughout the room, removing the layers of dust and cobwebs. He then transfigured the bedding and made sure it was clean enough to use. Then he stepped back out into the hall and saw that Alexis had drifted off still standing. He scoped her up into his arms and gently set her down on one side of the bed and then removed his shoes and layed beside her, pulling the blankets of them. He didn't feel like changing, he was just exhausted. As he wrapped his arms around Alexis he found that it didn't take long for him to fall asleep either.

Severus awoke much later than usual the following morning. Looking at the little clock on the wall it was nearly 10am. Alexis was still sound asleep beside him. He got up slowly, not wanting to wake her just yet and walked over to his dresser. Pulling out a pair of dark jeans and a grey t-shirt, he changed his clothes and crept out of the room. As he made his way to the kitchen he realized there was no food in the house, as he made it a habit not to keep his home stocked during the school year since he wasn't around much.

He slipped on his shoes and threw on a coat and decided to do a bit of grocery shopping in the neighboring village. It didn't take long, and he returned with an armful of bags.

He cast an enchantment on the groceries and they began putting themselves away. He then set out two place settings, picked up the carton of eggs, and one of the ham steaks and went to work preparing breakfast.

Alexis awoke to the smell, and sat up. Her stomach let out a loud gurgle and she wandered down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Good morning. Did you sleep alright?"

"Hmm..." She nodded and yawned again.

"Smells good." Alexis rubbed her eyes and took a seat at the table.

"Scrambled eggs and ham." Severus said as he slid the ham steak out of the pan and on to a large dish then took the eggs from the other frying pan and moved them to a glass bowl. He shut off the stove and placed the food on the table and prepared a plate for Alexis.

Once she had begun eating, he served himself and they sat there in silence as they ate. A few moments later Alexis looked at him and asked why he wasn't at the school.

"Albus gave me the day off. I thought we could take today to relax a bit."

Alexis smiled.

"I like that idea. Oh, thank you for breakfast."

Severus gave her a small smile and they went back to their meal. After breakfast, Alexis washed the dishes and Severus started a fire in the fireplace.

"Alexis, I'm going to the school for a moment to get your belongings from Minerva. I'll be back soon. Will you be alright on your own for a bit?"

"I'll be alright." She entered the sitting room with a dishtowel in hand.

"The dishes are finished, I think I'm going to read for a bit." She watched as Severus nodded and then threw floo powder into the fireplace.

"Well there are plenty to choose from. Read whatever you like."

Alexis gave a smile as he called out "Severus Snape's office, Hogwarts!" and vanished into the flames. The house was eerily quiet after and Alexis took a deep breath.

"He'll be back soon...don't panic..." She grabbed a book off the shelf and sat on the sofa. She opened the book and began reading. It was a book full of potion recipes for household use and oddly enough she found it interesting.

Severus had arrived in his office and found Professor McGonagall waiting for him. Sitting beside her was a large trunk, and she looked surprised.

"I must say Severus, I've never seen you dress like a muggle before."

"I prefer dressing down when I have time to myself. Is that all of her things?"

"Yes everything is there."

"Her roommates?"

"We told them Alexis didn't make it. They're angry, and upset, but I think it's for the best...no one outside the Order can know she's alive."

"At least not right now. I don't want to keep her in hiding forever Minerva. It's not good for her. She'll feel like a prisoner again."

"But she is safe. That's what matters."

"I should get back." Severus approached the trunk and with a wave of his wand it began to float alongside him. He passed back through the fireplace and returned to his home on Spinner's End. Alexis welcomed him back and he brought her trunk into the bedroom.

"I see you found something to read." Severus said as he returned to the sitting room and sat beside Alexis. Alexis leaned against him and he put an arm around her.

"It's a book on household potions. I'll have to try them sometime..." She looked up and saw that Severus was looking down at her. He leaned over and kissed her, then took the book from her hands. He set it down on the coffee table and pulled Alexis closer.

She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His kisses were gentle, and she could feel her face flush. Severus ran his hands under Alexis' shirt as he began kissing her neck. She began tugging on his shirt and he paused to look at her.

"Are you sure?"

Alexis nodded and Severus got up, then took her hand and led her down the hallway to their room. He closed the door behind them and slowly approached Alexis. He took her face in his hands and kissed her again as they slowly moved towards the bed, leaving their clothes in a heap on the floor around them...

"Alexis?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Severus."