"You are so beautiful." Avery said, caressing Nicole's cheek with the back of his hand.

They were lying on their sides facing each other in his bed together. They had been like this for the last hour: Simply lying on the bed enjoying each other's company.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." Nicole teased. Avery made a face as if he was considering it.

"Only to the foreign ones." Avery teased. Nicole smiled and hit him lightly on the arm.

"When will your parents be back?" Nicole asked. Avery shrugged.

"Not for a while I suspect. They had some meeting they had to go to." Nicole nodded and looked away from Avery.

"Why?" Avery asked.

"No reason." Nicole said quickly, playing with the material of the blanket they were lying on.

"Whenever a girl says no reason, it means the exact opposite." Avery stated. Nicole rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing." Nicole said in a less than reassuring tone. Avery gave her a look. Nicole sighed.

"What…what do you think about…sex?" Nicole said refusing to make eye contact. She was trying her hardest to keep her cheeks from turning red.

"What do you mean?" Avery asked. Nicole sucked her teeth.

"Oh come on! You know what sex is." Avery rolled his eyes

"Obviously. But I don't get what you're asking." Nicole rolled over on to her stomach.

"Have you ever…"

"Ever what?" Avery prompted.

"You're going to make me say it aren't you."

"If it means I get to see that pretty blush on your cheeks." Avery teased. Nicole shoved Avery in the chest making him roll over on his back.

Avery put one arm behind his head and the other rested across his stomach.

"Well?" Nicole prompted.

"No. Have you?" Avery asked turning his head toward Nicole. She shook her head.

"Do you think that there is an right time or...right age?" Nicole asked.

"What do you mean?

"I'm 14, you're 15. Some people would consider that to be very young." Nicole stated.

"True. But there were people who got married and had their own children by now at our age." Avery countered.

"Yeah, but that was because their lives were shorter. The life expectancy was a lot lower back then."

"Anyone can die at any age no matter what the life expectancy is." Avery stated. Nicole thought about that.

Avery made a valid point. Nicole was proof. She had known people who had died younger than she was now had even almost lost her own life once or twice.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Avery asked. Nicole nodded.

"So you don't think that there is some sort of…I don't know…threshold, some sort of checkpoint that makes it okay?" Avery shook his head.

"I think that sex is in intimate act that should only be decided by the people involved, based on their feelings for one another." Avery stated. Nicole looked at him.

"Are you just saying that because you think that that's what I want to hear?" Nicole teased. Avery thought for a moment.

"Yeah I am. And I'm saying it because I think that it's true." Avery said smiling. Nicole leaned over and kissed Avery.

"I could kiss you forever." Nicole said pulling back slightly. Avery pulled the hair back from her eyes.

"Are you sure you're not too young to talk about forever?" Avery teased. Nicole smiled.

"I'm sure, I'm not too young to care about someone, not too young to want to be with someone, not to young to…" The word caught in Nicole's throat.

She didn't know what was stopping her from finishing her sentence. Nicole had never felt like this toward anyone before. Of course, Nicole had never been in a serious relationship before either.

Avery leaned up and kissed Nicole.

"I'm not to young for that either." He said looking into her eyes.

That was the great thing about Avery. Nicole didn't feel any pressure to be anything other than what she was. She didn't feel the necessity to be one way or another. He took her just the way she was, faults and all. Avery never asked Nicole for more than what she could give at the moment. This was a nice change of pace for Nicole. In Avery's arms, she could just simply be.

Nicole placed her head on Avery's chest listening to his heartbeat as Avery stroked her hair. There was no other place that Nicole wanted to be at in that moment. She knew that even if she couldn't say the words just yet that she felt them, loud and clear.

Nicole wondered what people back at Salem would say her if they saw her now, all cuddled up with a boy contemplating the "L" word. This was totally unlike the girl who had thrown an anti-couple party for Valentines' day back 3 years ago.

Nicole laughed aloud as she remembered the fiasco that the party had turned into.

"What's so funny?" Avery asked looking down at Nicole's face. She turned her head so that her chin was resting on his chest.

"Nothing. Just remembering the past."

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes. It's not that different from Hogwarts actually. I mostly miss my friends, Jane, Alex, Edward, Nick."

"That's a lot of boys." Avery interrupted. Nicole laughed and pinched Aver's nose.

"Jealous?" Nicole questioned.

"Do I have a reason to be?" Nicole made a face as if she was considering it. She shook her head and kissed Avery on the lips.

Avery's tongue began to dance with Nicole's as their kissing intensified. Nicole climbed on top on Avery and straddled his waist. She leaned over him and they continued to kiss. Nicole felt Avery's hands roam down her back. Avery pulled Nicole's dress up around her hips exposing her panties. Avery's hands slid down Nicole's back until he cupped her butt in his hands.

Nicole moaned as she felt Avery's hands on her body. He began to kiss Nicole on her neck as his hands continued to caress her backside. The feeling of his hands pressing against the soft fabric that in turn pressed against her skin caused a tingling sensation Nicole had never felt before. Nicole felt Averys fingers toy with the edges of her panties.

"Merlin's beard!" Severus walked into Avery's room expecting to find his friend stretched out across his bed. He was not expecting however a girl with her panties showing to be on top of him.

"What the bloody hell mate?!" Avery exclaimed as Nicole pulled down her clothing and moved to sitting beside Avery on the bed instead of on top of him.

"I'm sorry. The door was open! I didn't think that...you know...you had company." Severus said gesturing to Nicole who was fixing her clothing and trying to hide the blush that was creeping up on her caramel cheeks. Avery ran his hand though his hair back putting it back into place.

"Yeah well I assume that you wanted something." Avery said bluntly.

"oh...um...do you think your parents will mind much if I stay the night?" Severus asked quietly.

Avery looked at Severus taking in his appearance. Severus' eyes were puffy as if he had been crying. Avery knew that could only mean one thing.

"Of course mate. Hollis!" Avery called out. A house elf popped into the room with his hands covering his eyes. Severus smiled.

"Its fine Hollis. Take you're hands down." Avery ordered. Hollis peaked through his fingers and removed his hands.

"Yes master?"

"Take Severus' things to the guest bedroom." Hollis nodded and turned his attention to Nicole.

"Does the mistress need anything from Hollis?" Nicole smiled and shook her head. Hollis disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

"Thanks mate. Um...it was nice seeing you Nicolaia."

"You to!" Nicole called out as Severus left the room. Nicole fell back on the bed and hid her face in the covers. Avery rubbed her back.

"I cannot believe that just happened!" Nicole said, her face still in the covers. Avery kissed her shoulder.

"At least it wasn't my parents." Avery joked. Nicole groaned and looked at Avery.

"Yeah then I really would have died." She gave him a peck on the lips before getting up from the bed. She grabbed her purse from the chair. Avery sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

"Come here." Avery said holding his hand out to her. Nicole moved to stand in front of him in between his legs.

Avery's hands ran across her legs tracing lines into her skin. Nicole bit her lip at the feeling of Avery's fingers on her bare skin. Nicole ran her fingers through Avery's hair as his hands slowly made their way upward.

"Master?" Hollis said quietly interrupting the two of them. Nicole stepped back from Avery.

"What!?"

"Hollis did as was asked." Hollis said looking down at the floor.

"Great." Avery said sarcastically. Nicole gave him a look.

"I'll let you know if we need anything." Avery softened. Hollis nodded and once again disappeared.

"I should go." Nicole said. As much as Avery didn't want to see her go, he knew that it was best.

Avery walked Nicole to the front door and kissed her goodbye.

Avery walked back up to the second floor and went to the room a few doors down from his own bedroom. The door was open and Severus was lying on the bed looking up at the ceiling. Avery stood in the doorway.

"Your dad?" Avery asked. Severus nodded

"Wanna talk about it?" Severus shook his head. He looked at Avery.

"I really am sorry about walking in on you two." Avery waved it off.

"You two are really serious about each other." Severus stated. Avery moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah we are"

"I'm happy for you." Severus said quietly.

"Nicole's a great girl. Plus she has good taste in knickers." Severus said nonchalantly. It took Avery a moment to register the last part of Severus' statement.

"Cheeky bastard!" Avery said hitting Severus across his stomach. Severus laughed.