A/N: A day early, but this is the weekly update and not a bonus. I'll be travelling tomorrow, and then there's a wedding, so I won't have time to update tomorrow. I'll try to update next Saturday, but I won't make promises. The week after that should resume normal service.

-C

It took virtually no time at all for Sanna to regret the decision to do and say nothing about the kiss. Not around Sirius – he was completely natural and normal after the whole thing, which was the main reason Sanna wasn't totally sure it happened. But around Gideon, Sanna felt uncomfortable, like she'd done something she shouldn't, and she wondered whether to come clean about it or not.

Only three nights after they returned from their journey, Sanna had dinner with Gideon at his, and she was tense the whole night, trying to relax herself with steady breathing and maybe a glass or two of wine more than she normally would have taken. Gideon didn't seem to notice there was anything unusual with Sanna, but every time he touched her hand, she thought of the strange tingling that had come with Sirius's touch, the bizarre lingering of his lips against hers, and the even longer lingering of the ghost of his lips against hers. When she would meet Gideon's adoring gaze, she thought with perfect ease of the cool and furious fire in Sirius's eyes before he kissed her, something she'd never seen in Sirius before.

She hadn't kissed him. This was what she told herself after dinner, when she and Gideon sat in front of the fireplace in his place with Fabian – who was out on a date with Anissa, somewhere nice and Muggle. She hadn't initiated the kiss, and she hadn't kissed him back. She hadn't deepened anything. She'd been something of a passenger in the whole matter.

But what did it say that she couldn't stop thinking about it, that she wasn't even certain she hadn't dreamed it all up? What kind of girlfriend was she, to sit here on a date with her boyfriend and think about someone else's lips, someone she didn't even have an intimate history with the way she used to sometimes think of Remus?

"You alright?" he asked when she pulled away, her shoulders stiffening. She wanted to go home, but she couldn't think of a particularly good reason to leave. They'd had a perfectly pleasant evening, and Gideon was obviously interested in stepping up their physical involvement. She didn't feel ready to sleep with him, but…

"I don't know," she said, resting her face against the window frame. "And I can't…tell you about it."

"I know," he said, smiling sadly. "I'd never ask about your work, Sanna."

It was a kind of lie, letting him believe work was what was bothering her. Although she wasn't thrilled to bits about the content of her work, it didn't bother her as much as the idea of it had, and she seemed to be quite good at it. Dumbledore had taken her warning about Snape's comment on how someone in the Ministry, someone with knowledge of her work, was a leak. She didn't know what he was doing with the information, but he'd taken it seriously and assured her he'd consider it.

No, it was the thought of Sirius pressing his lips to hers that had her head turning in all kinds of knots.

"I just have a lot I'm thinking about," she said, sighing. "Until I sort it out, I might seem a bit…distant."

"That's fine, love," he said, completely trusting, not at all bothered by the notion that she was distant and they couldn't even talk about it. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to make it easier."

She wished she could just out with what was on her mind, but she knew it was impossible, and she thanked him mutedly.

The rest of the evening was smooth and comfortable, even though her mind was somewhere else. Gideon didn't press her physically or otherwise, and they simply spent time together. By the time he dropped her home again, she'd finally begun to relax, but the sound of Sirius humming in the kitchen to some song she didn't know – Muggle, she assumed – was enough to set her teeth on edge again. Her shoulders stiffened and she announced she was home and would be changing quickly, so not to bother her, before she hurried upstairs and took deep, determined, measured breaths.

She tried, she had really tried. She went about her days pretending nothing had happened, but the weight of not acknowledging the matter seemed to crush her, and she knew she had to say something. But what? She wasn't angry about the kiss, so confronting wasn't quite the right word. She didn't know how she felt, except stunned.

But she had to say something, so with great effort, she dragged herself back downstairs and found Sirius in the kitchen, washing up from his dinner-for-one. An almost-guilt washed over her, and she felt she should be doing those dishes, but then she remembered she'd had dinner with Gideon, which meant Sirius was responsible for all aspects of his own dinner – including dishes.

"You look lovely, bug," he said, winking.

"I'm wearing pajamas and no makeup," she said drily, but he grinned.

"I know," he said brightly. "You still look lovely. Hey, what's wrong? You've got a sour face, and I can't imagine it was from my compliment."

Sanna sighed. She should have known it would be difficult – nay, impossible – with Sirius's chirpy, cheerful, lighthearted attitude, to ask him about something like this. That, and when he leaned across the kitchen table to get a better look at her eyes in his concern, she thought of him leaning in and pressing his lips to hers, and the strange tingling and lightness that had followed.

"M'fine," she said, which wasn't exactly a lie, but his expression called it out as one.

He pulled up a chair and tossed the dish towel aside, waiving his wand to make it start drying dishes on its own. He took her hands and frowned at her

"If it's something at work," he said softly, "it's okay to tell me you're troubled by work and not say more. But you're not fine, darling."

She laughed, nervously, and shook her head, looking down at his hands holding hers. Warm, a little moist from doing dishes, steady and familiar. No tingling. So, what had caused the tingling before? Had it all been imagination?

"Don't laugh at me," she said sternly, as a warning. He nodded, but she saw his lips twitch. She sighed, not daring to look at his face. "When we were travelling…. I mean, I'm not sure if I dreamed it, or if it was something that really happened."

"What's that, bug?"

She couldn't stand it anymore. She looked up at his puzzled gray eyes and blurted out, "Did you kiss me?"

His eyes widened slightly and he didn't answer right away, so for one wild moment she was certain it had all been a dream, that the whole thing was in her head, and she felt foolish for mentioning it and letting it stew so long.

But then he said, "Of course I did."

She blinked up at him, letting her reality readjust to this statement. Not a dream, but something that happened. Sirius had kissed her, and suddenly her fingers and palms began to tingle.

"Why?" she asked, her throat tightening, and his eyebrow twitched in puzzled surprise. She felt the need to clarify her question. "I mean, why would you kiss me?"

"Sanna, it was the New Year," he said, smiling, puzzled. "It's tradition to kiss on the New Year. It brings good luck. And if I remember correctly, it's supposed to bring a lot of luck if you kiss the prettiest girl in the room."

"I was the only girl in the room," she said, feeling heat rising from her center, sure her skin was flushing visibly.

"Still the prettiest," he said with a wink.

It seemed reasonable, normal, not at all something to be afraid of. So why did her fingers still tingle and her heart still race?

Suddenly, Sirius grinned and said, "The real question, bug, is why you're so hot and bothered about a simple holiday peck on the lips?"

She rolled her eyes, but she supposed this was a reasonable descriptor for the strange physical sensations she was experiencing. But the implication was wrong. Totally wrong. She was just confused, that was all. And confusion was perfectly reasonable when her body was doing strange things and Sirius was acting so unusual.

"Don't be stupid," she said, clicking her tongue and pulling her hand from his, but he grinned, following her as she tried to leave the kitchen, barring her from the door and touching her shoulder so she turned to look up at him.

"It's alright, darling," he said earnestly, but still grinning that stupid grin. "You can tell me how you feel. After all, as your sister already pointed out, the stars have determined our fate. We could always just go upstairs and submit."

The laughter was thin on his voice, and she knew he was teasing her. He wanted her to get mad at him, which was exactly what she felt. He was angling for a reaction, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Instead, her lips twitched as a rather wicked plan presented itself. She'd suffered plenty for confusion.

Time to make him confused.

"Why bother going upstairs?" she said, cocking her head slightly as she rested a hand on his chest.

It took a moment for the words to sink in before utter confusion took over his face.

"S-sorry?" he asked, blinking down at her.

"Well, there's no need to be so bland about it," she said, letting her fingers trace lazily up his neck to his jawline. She saw his pupils dilate, and she knew his uncontrollable physical reactions were working in her favor. His breath hitched as she leaned closer, and his eyes searched her face, trying to make sense of things.

"Bland about…"

She pressed a kiss to his jaw and his whole body stiffened, and he flailed his hands slightly as if trying to decide what to do with them. She knew his physical responses were probably telling him to hold on to her, not to let her slip away, but his conscience saying something else entirely.

Sanna decided to really amp up the teasing, nipping lightly at the tender skin just under his jaw with playful teeth, and he groaned, his hand flying automatically to her waist.

Tingles.

"Dammit, Sanna," he sighed. "What…. What d'you…"

He groaned again as she nipped once more, before pulling away. His eyes were slightly hazed as she looked up at him, and he seemed to be trying to form a decision, whether it was deciding what she was doing or deciding what to do about it.

Before her own body gave in to natural physical responses, though, she knew she had to stop this, so she grabbed the door handle he'd stopped blocking in his confusion.

"Where're you going?" he asked, dazed.

"I think that's enough fate for one day, don't you?" she said brightly, and he blinked at her, his eyes seeming to clear as he realized what she was doing. But she was already leaving the room as he tried to stop her.

"Sanna!" he cried after her as she went upstairs, laughing. "Sanna, that's not funny! You can't do that to a man!"

She didn't hear him for a moment, but from the sound of footsteps on the staircase, she determined he was on four rather than two feet, probably to increase speed as he chased after her up the stairs.

Sure enough, Sirius as a dog padded into her bedroom after her, and he whimpered, pressing his wet, warm snout against her hand.

"Alright," she sighed, laughing. "Alright, that was cruel, I know. But I told you not to laugh, and you teased me! It seemed only fair to throw it back at you."

She sat on the edge of her bed and he whimpered again, pressing his head into her lap, letting her pet him.

"I'm sorry," she said, caressing him. "Let's just…agree to forget about it, alright? It was a stupid thing, for both of us."

Sirius seemed to accept this, hopping onto the bed, and curling up, obviously waiting for her to join him. She did, feeling a weight off her chest as she snuggled his luxurious, warm fur.

The following day was a Sunday, no work for her or Gideon, so she took a chance at surprising him and went back to his place just after breakfast. It was a mark of the lingering embarrassment Sirius was suffering that he didn't cross-examine her over where she was going and when she'd be back.

Gideon was surprised when she arrived, and he was about to ask if everything was alright, but before he could say a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, and Gideon kissed her back without hesitation. Sanna pulled him closer and he obliged, and she heard a door closing somewhere behind her, but she didn't react.

"Oh," Fabian's voice said, mildly. "Nice show."

She felt Gideon's hand shift on her back, and he must have made a rude gesture, because Fabian laughed and said, "Right. Going for a walk, then."

Sanna laughed against Gideon's lips as the door opened and closed again, leaving them alone in the flat. Gideon pulled her onto the sofa, her sitting on his lap as he grinned up at her.

"So, whatever it was is better?" he asked, brushing a strand of pale hair off her face as she leaned over him.

"Yeah, I expect so," she said, pulling him into a kiss and enjoying his hand on her waist.

"We're not having sex today, are we?" he asked, his hand tracing up her side.

She laughed against his lips and said, "No, but…I was so distant last night, and I just want…to be close to you. If that's alright."

Gideon smiled, kissing her jaw, then her neck, then up her neck slightly up to the lobe of her ear before he said, "It is always alright. There's nothing I want more than to be close to you."

Sanna laughed and pressed herself against him, letting him taste and tease her neck, nipping his teeth along her skin and laving each nip with his tongue before choosing another spot.

She dug her fingers into his hair and pulled his head back, away from her neck, before she lowered her head to kiss him intently, pressing her lips to his and relishing when he returned the kiss with vigor and intensity, as though they were fighting for dominance. He groaned when she tugged lightly on his hair, and he took her by surprise, rolling them over and tossing her back onto the sofa before climbing on top of her. She grinned up at him, wondering how he'd gone from shy and nervous to this in such a short span of time in their relationship, but she liked that he was a fast learner.

Laying back and running her fingers through his hair, she enjoyed the brilliance of his smile as his eyes traced across her face.

"You are beautiful," he said happily, and she laughed, but he shook his head. "Don't laugh, you are."

"Well, thank you," she said, caressing his face before he pressed his lips to her neck again, his hands tracing up and down her torso. She smiled as he teased around her breasts as though nervous to touch them. Just as she was about ready to grab his hands and place them, he went in and felt them, testing their weight in his hands before squeezing slightly.

"Oh, bloody hell," he sighed against her skin, as though it caused him some measure of extreme physical pleasure to feel her breasts in his hands, even through her clothes. "So fucking perfect."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing again. She couldn't even really feel his hands through three layers of fabric, but it was nice that he was so excited about her body, even before seeing it. He pressed his head to her neck, his forehead against her throat and his breath just below her collarbone as he sighed.

"I'm only sorry I didn't have the guts to say something sooner," he said, before kissing her collarbone and looking up at her, massaging her breasts lightly through the fabric. "D'you think, if I'd said something when I first realized I was mad about you, maybe we'd be living together now?"

She swallowed, surprised by the suddenly very serious question.

"I dunno," she said, laughing nervously. "Depends on how long ago that was."

"Second year," he said, smiling sheepishly.

Sanna laughed to avoid answering, because that was both sweet and terrifying. Of course, she couldn't tell him it wouldn't have made a difference, because she was so besotted with Remus by then, she wouldn't have noticed he existed, much less been interested in dating him, even out of pity. It was only after enduring years of Sirius's teasing she'd forced herself out of her crush and into action, but she'd then taken over a year to fall out of love with him, once she had him.

No, there would have been no room in there for Gideon, or anyone else.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging. "I'm not very good a might-have-been's. Sirius always says I'm like an unstoppable force, always pushing forward to the next thing. He's always trying to slow me down, make me stop and look at things along the way. Probably more trouble than it's worth."

"Not at all," he said, shifting and propping himself up by digging his elbows in on either side of her body. "Because you've slowed down, for this moment, right now. And I don't know how you feel about it, but I think it's pretty great."

Sanna smiled, pulling him in for a gentler kiss, feeling the weight of confusion and guilt completely gone from the holiday kiss for luck Sirius had given her.

"I think it's pretty great, too," she whispered, before kissing him again.

A/N: So, Sanna couldn't let it go, Sirius blames holiday tradition, and Sanna reaffirms her relationship with Gideon.

Review Prompt: What do you think Sirius was thinking during the middle portion of this chapter?

Q&A:

Q: Is Sanna leaning out of the window and not realizing it important? (Emmy)

A: I love that I've got you all well-trained in noticing tiny things that lead to big things later. But, no. Not so much. Much of what's critical in this story, y'all have already figured out. It's not much of an exercise in subtlety like some of my other works.

Cheers!

C