Chapter 37: The Night Is Theirs Alone

Rosetta did not remember how they ended up in the Potion Master's quarters and was only dimly aware of tumbling on to his bed, the crisp white sheets soft against her bare flesh. All she could focus on were the sensations of skin on skin, of kisses and caresses. They writhed, lithe and languid, caught in their lover's dance. White against black and black against white, yin and yang joined in blissful union, over and over. Words were not necessary; they communicated through thought and looks, taking their passion to a higher level.

How long they remained in this ecstatic limbo she could not say, but she guessed it was dawn by the time they eventually lay silently spent together, side by side and holding hands, dozing contentedly and at peace with the world.

Even underneath the swell of love in her heart, Rosetta could not shake the feeling that this wonderful, fragile oasis they had created for themselves could not last. When she finally fell asleep, Rosetta dreamt of scorched sand and deep azure seas, and endless blue skies.

o0o

Awaking the following morning was decidedly surreal for Rosetta, finding herself in the Potion Master's empty bed. Severus himself was in the shower, which gave Rosetta a chance to try to process what had just happened between them. She pulled on her hastily-discarded underwear and perched on the edge of the bed, her body pleasantly aching after a long evening of lovemaking and her brain buzzing with thoughts. Deep down, she knew there was fire underneath Severus' cool exterior but the heat of the passion was like nothing she had experienced before. Both of them, it seemed, needed the release from months of pent-up desire. She now knew she had been so blind all this time to mistake his attraction for loathing, and also that things just simply weren't that clear cut when it came to Severus Snape.

They had shared their bodies and their feelings with each other, but what would happen now, she wondered to herself as Severus emerged from the bathroom, clothed in his habitual black trousers and white shirt.

She gave Severus a small smile as he fiddled with fastening his cuffs. "Alright?"

Severus walked towards Rosetta, his hair still slightly damp around his face. "Good morning to you. I trust you slept well?"

Rosetta couldn't help but chuckle. It felt very strange for Severus to revert to being so formal after the wanton night of lust that they'd both shared.

"I was absolutely shagged out." She gave a mischievous grin, and a smirk passed Severus' lips as he looked away.

"Are you still planning on leaving today?" he asked quietly after a moment, his face becoming serious once more.

The question landed like a stone in Rosetta's gut. It looked like their private oasis had now been well and truly shattered. Yes, she had to go, their night of passion hadn't changed that, but she didn't want to leave Severus. But, she realised with a flash of excitement, perhaps she didn't have to.

"Come with me." Rosetta's eyes shone brightly, full of fervour as she reached out and clutched Severus' hand tightly. "Come to Rhodes. We'll be set for life, we won't even need to work..."

Her voice petered out as she saw the conflicted grimace on Severus' face. This was clearly not the emphatic yes she had been hoping for.

"I can't," he said bitterly, as if it pained him to say the words.

Rosetta tried to push down the bubble of hurt that was threatening to spill over. "Why not? I know you detest teaching, you hate kids even more than I do and that's saying something."

"It's not that..." He couldn't even look her in the eyes. What was he supposed to say? That he forfeited his entire life to look after a dead woman's child? That his bruised heart would never be completely free of Lily Potter, who'd had a grip on it since he first saw her as a child in that playground in Cokeworth all those years ago? That he hadn't banked on having any kind of happiness or joy in his life ever again, let alone getting emotionally involved with a woman, and that this wasn't supposed to happen? That he should have walked away and not let the seed of his feelings take root? That he'd been too weak to resist the undeniable physical chemistry between them and now he was about to break both of their hearts?

Rosetta bent In front of him deliberately to catch his gaze, forcing eye contact.

"Is this just a one-night stand to you?"

"Absolutely not!" Severus looked affronted at the very idea. "You know very well how I feel."

"Then what is it?"

Her mind started racing as she watched Severus wrestling with what to say next. And then the thought struck her like a Stunner.

"Fucking Dumbledore," she spat. "It's him, isn't it? He's got you over a barrel spying for him and he won't let you go." She crossed her arms across her chest, shaking her head with frustration.

"That's more or less the upsum of it," he answered ruefully.

Rosetta sighed. "I get it. If he had his way, he'd trap me here teaching too, but I can't do it Severus, I just can't. I'm not cut out for a 9 to 5 existence."

"Well, that leaves us at somewhat of an impasse." A fleeting look of sorrow passed over his features.

Rosetta's brows furrowed at this. "Uh, hello? Ever heard of Portkeys? I happen to be quite the expert, you know. You can come and visit me whenever you like. It'll be easy."

Severus shook his head imperceptibly, and Rosetta's stomach was flooded with cold when he next spoke.

"I can't see you again. It's too dangerous."

"In what way? Voldemort isn't going to follow you on holiday, is he?"

She watched as Severus flinched at Voldemort's name and then angrily shoved up the left sleeve of his shirt. "This," he ground out, "Is more than a novelty tattoo. It's a Dark Mark, it's the Dark Lord's way of communication and control. I will never be free of it, or him, for as long as he lives. Yes, he's barely human now, but he grows stronger by the day and one day the Mark will start burning and I will have no choice to run to him and kiss the hem of his robes. I cannot risk him knowing I have feelings for another. He would use it as leverage and if he found out I have switched my allegiances he would kill you without question. I cannot do that to you." Or to me, he thought weakly.

Rosetta put her head in her hands. She knew he was telling the truth, and that the situation was impossible. "So that's it, is it? I find the one man I would put everything on the line for, one I've had the best sex of my life with and one who claims he has feelings for me, and it's the one man I can't have."

She began laughing then. It started as a giggle and then became a full-on guffaw. Severus eyed her awkwardly as she laughed herself out.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping a tearful eye, though through sorrow or mirth she couldn't quite tell. "It's funny because it's so fucking tragic."

Severus stepped forwards then and pulled her up from the bed by her hands, and this time the black eyes sought out the brown. If only she knew the half of it. She was the second woman in his life to have touched his heart and the irony of their names had not escaped him. He was tied to Lily Potter in death, her name meaning the flower that represented funerals and mourning, and yet Rosetta Stone, the "little rose", was offering him love and life. But death had won again, as it surely always would.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way. You know how I feel about you." Severus' voice was tight, like he was forcing emotions down like bad medicine. "Last night was the best night of my life. Please don't regret it."

She gazed back through watery eyes. It was clear Severus was conflicted, but she knew he'd sworn some ungodly oath to Dumbledore to help defeat Voldemort and there was no way out. That thought made her heart ache. They really were in a no-win situation.

"I don't regret anything. But I don't want this to be just one night. You'd better defeat that Dark Lord of yours, Severus Snape. And the second you do, you're coming over to Greece, you hear me? Don't forget about me." Rosetta couldn't stop the tears from falling then, and Severus pulled her close to his chest.

Severus wanted nothing more than to escape to Rhodes with Rosetta and start over, but deep down he knew that he wouldn't be free until either Voldemort was dead, or he was. And somehow, it felt like he would need to pay his past mistakes with his life.

"I'll never forget you," he breathed into Rosetta's hair, willing himself not to shed tears of his own.