Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Thanks to those who have added this to their Favorites: Anonymous Echo, Numba 1 Basket Case, BANDN3RD, and Avarainna. You guys rock my socks!
"Home!" Sirius called, closing and locking the big metal doors behind him.
"Okay!" Christiana answered from her bedroom. Clothes were strewn all over her bed, seeing as how she had emptied her closet and drawers.
Sirius walked into the room. "Whoa! Did a bomb go off in here? Your room looks like mine."
"Hardly," Christiana said smiling. "You were gone, I was bored so I decided to do some spring cleaning, get rid of clothes I don't wear anymore. How are you feeling?"
Sirius shrugged. He had gone alone this time to Harry's house (or was it his) to hear more about the war. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "I'm not quite sure how to feel. My friends are dead but I know why they died and I would have – I did do the same thing. Harry went through a lot and I wish I could have been there for him but in the end I suppose I was. It's hard to explain," he added at her confused glance. "But I just hate that it feels like all a story to me. I lived it, but I didn't."
"It'll take some time to get used to. That's why you're here now, to adjust before we can really put you back into the world."
"Will I go as Sirius Black or Corvus Brown?"
"Hopefully, Sirius Black."
"Good, 'cause I like me."
"I'm sure."
Sirius smirked, still watching her she could tell; she felt his eyes on her back. "So what are you getting rid of?"
Christiana pointed to the bottom of her bed. "Everything right there."
"Ah, no, Chris." She turned as he held up the red skirt they had bought on his second day there. "You can't get rid of this! I haven't even seen you wear it yet!"
She couldn't help the blush that came to her face. "I'm never going to wear that."
"Who knows? You might decide to wear it one day. Keep it. Please?"
She looked into his gaze, amused before reaching across the bed to snatch it from him and hang it back up in the closet.
"Great!" Sirius said and he flung himself onto her bed. "I'm bored, Chris."
"You could go clean your own room," she told him, yanking a pair of jeans out from under him. Sirius made a retching sound and Christiana shook her head. "Well I'm out of ideas."
"We could go to a movie," Sirius suggested. "Or we can go for a ride on my bike."
"Busy, Sirius."
The man sighed and she heard her bed creak as he got up and walked out the room. Christiana shook her head again. There was just no pleasing some people.
"Sirius?" she called to no answer. She turned to the door. "Sirius, you can watch T.V. of course! I'm sure you can find something. Sirius?"
She turned back around to her closet, holding up a blue flower patterned dress. This was cute. If she remembered correctly, Julia had bought it for her when she left Hogwarts. She had yet to wear it but it probably still fit.
"EEK!" Christiana screamed out as an ice cold spray of water hit her dead center in her lower back. When she turned, it was to see Sirius standing on the other side of her bed, holding a spray bottle with a menacing grin on his face. "Sirius, stay away from me with that – I'm warning you. GEEZ!"
Christiana screamed again as Sirius sprayed her in her stomach. He let out a loud battle cry, scrambling across the bed. She ran for it, laughing now. "Stop it!"
She closed the door just to stall him, running into the kitchen. When Sirius came out her with his spray bottle, she had the extendable faucet outstretched.
"Hey!" Sirius yelled as he got a face full of water. Christiana laughed triumphantly until Sirius sprang forward, reaching for the hose.
The hose slipped away from both of them, spraying water all over the place. Christiana screamed and Sirius shouted, both trying to avoid the water and catch the hose at the same time. Christiana grabbed the nozzle of the faucet and shut it off, putting it back in place. She giggled, wiping water from her face. "Okay we won't use that anymore. . . . Sirius?"
He was gone again.
Listening she heard the padding and light scratching of his paws on the floor. "No fair! I can't do that!"
Quickly she reached for her wand, pointing it out in front of her. "Accio spray bottle."
The item zoomed into her hand and Christiana laughed. "At least I have opposable thumbs."
Still, she didn't know where he was. Putting her wand down, she held the spray bottle in front of her, climbing over the back of the couch and onto the floor. She needed a barrier and the couch would work for now. "Come out, come out wherever you are," she sang.
There was a bark from behind her and she spun around, crying out as the large black dog bounded towards her. She slid to the floor, laughing as the dog hovered over her, paws on the couch on either side of her head. He licked her once, wet and sloppy on her face and she giggled, reaching up to scratch behind his ear. "Okay, okay, you win!"
In a blink, Sirius was back to normal, a large grin on his face. "I can't be defeated is all. Don't feel bad."
Christiana laughed again but then she suddenly realized their proximity. His face couldn't have been more than a breath away from hers, her hand now resting in his hair and he was practically straddling one of her legs on his knees. She could feel his body heat and his hair, still wet, dripped water onto her tank-top.
Sirius must have noticed how close they were too because suddenly the smile left his face and he was looking directly into her eyes. His hand lifted and his middle finger brushed down her collarbone to trace the butterfly tattoo on her shoulder.
Oh dear.
"What did – what did Teddy tell you?" she asked because it was the only thing she could think to say to distract the both of them – well, at least her. "In the park the other day?"
Sirius smiled softly, still tracing her tattoo. "He told me that I wasn't allowed to hurt you or else, when he got his wand, he'd come after me. I told him that I wouldn't hurt you. I couldn't."
"Oh." How crazy was it that a four-year-old had noticed things that they themselves – well, at least she – hadn't?
When she looked up again, Sirius was gazing at her in the most obvious way. She bit her lip. This wasn't happening. There was no way she should be allowing herself to even become involved in this! He was, for lack of a better word, a patient. This was ridiculous. After all was said and done he'd have his memory erased and be sent out into the world never to have anything to do with her ever again. She'd only end up hurt in the process no matter his promise to Teddy. No. No she couldn't do this, whatever this was. What would her associates think? Besides, what if she were a horrible kisser? It wasn't like she practiced this sort of thing. What if he thought her sloppy or amateur or, worse, horrible? What if she just ended up embarrassing herself? What if –
"Christiana." She came back into focus. Sirius was staring at her fondly. "Stop thinking so much."
And then he kissed her.
Oh yeah. It was definitely easy to stop thinking then.
His hand laid flat on her shoulder now, fingertips brushing her collarbone. Nothing mattered anymore. Not her associates, not the fact that he was a patient . . . if she had known her first kiss was going to be like this, she so would have went ahead and gone through with it already.
Sirius's other hand lifted from the couch, wrapping in her wet hair and he pulled her closer to him the hand on her shoulder moving to her lower back, making her gasp against his mouth. Maybe she was doing better than she thought.
But that didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered now was the feel of his lips against her, his hand in her hair and on her back. Oh yeah, this was definitely nice. His tongue brushed against the bottom of her lip and Christiana leaned back, blushing.
Sirius gazed at her with soft eyes. "Sorry. I don't want to, you know, push you to do anything you don't want to do."
"No, no, it's fine," Christiana replied. "Uh, we can – we can keep going."
"Great." And he pressed his lips against hers again.
Oh yeah.
This was definitely great.
A/N: Whoo! Hot and steamy! Hope you guys liked this chapter! I'll see you next time.