See chapter one for disclaimers and warnings.

RECAP: Weston and his Sire are in vampire territory while, Severus and Co. have portkeyed to a very special safehouse. Upon arriving, the state of the safehouse sets all of Terius' Pareyic instincts on edge...

The house, Terius was pleased to note, did look a bit better on the inside. It was still falling apart at the seams and there was definitely nothing charming or inviting about it—but it was mostly intact, no gaping holes in the floor—at least not ones big enough to fall through—and some mild protection spells on what meager food supplies were gathered in a circle at the kitchen table.

He hadn't bothered to follow Severus and Draco into the brewing area—it would have set his instincts on edge to see a mess that he most likely wouldn't be allowed to clean. Just seeing the interior had set his hands to twitching. He wanted to dig his claws into the mess and clear it up straightaway.

If magic wasn't allowed—then perhaps he could do it the old-fashioned way. Soap, water and elbow-grease.

A great deal of soap, water and elbow-grease.

It made his fangs ache just thinking about it. How annoying.

Terius bit back a groan. Sometimes, his rank felt like more of an annoyance than an actual help. He wanted to help them so much right now, it hurt to think that they wouldn't appreciate it.

And he knew they wouldn't.

Not Severus, anyway. Draco probably wouldn't mind, though from the way he'd kept a handkerchief pressed to his face through the entire not-quite-a-tour through said mansion, Terius had a feeling that his lovely Submissive hadn't lifted much of a finger to help himself in his life.

Ah. That would be another headache for sure, wouldn't it?

Terius pushed the thoughts aside and silently breathed through the rippling waves of instinctive urge. He'd have to stay in control of himself, especially if he wanted this to work with minimal frustration and emotional upheaval on all of their parts.

A Pareya's duty was keep peace and harmony in the home—namely, to make it a warm and welcoming place for himself and his Bonded. He would thrive on being needed and appreciated by them in equal measure. His efforts would be pointless, if it wasn't what they wanted from him.

Still, he'd have his work cut out for now.

There definitely wasn't much to start with. The more he took stock of the basic appliances and supplies contained within, he had a feeling that he'd also be digging into his personal savings to cover a few gaps. That was yet another conversation that would have to happen at some point and from the ever-present scowl on Severus' face, Terius was not looking forward to it.

He'd followed Severus and Draco to the kitchen, taking note of everything as he went. The growing list of necessities was quite alarming.

He could see that what little was present, was exactly for one person. It wasn't prepared like a safehouse, so Severus had been using it for something else, though Terius couldn't quite guess what.

Surely the man hadn't dedicated an entire mansion to brewing smelly, experimental things? Then again, it wasn't as if he knew enough about Severus to make that sort of guess. Perhaps the man did find something—interesting—in the midst of something so—well, Terius wasn't really sure what to call it, but he was sure he'd think of something soon.

It was true that most Alphas did have some sort of obsession with their current careers—but not to this sort of degree.

Terius bit back a sigh. He wondered if Severus would mind if he looked through the rest of the cabinets. The thought passed almost as quickly as it had registered, because if he couldn't do that much, then what was the point?

He began to rifle through the first few cabinets and drawers, mentally cataloguing what he could see and imagining what sorts of things needed to be there in the first place.

It took a few minutes, but he was eventually able to round up the entirety of the edible items on the rickety wooden table.

The shock of seeing one large cabinet to the upper right of the stove, with only a single dented tin of tea—well, that had been troublesome enough.

Terius had plucked the offending item from the cabinet and thunked it down on the table with a glower. He'd then not-quite-banged-and-bumped his way through extracting the remaining items from the kitchen.

When he was through with the first half of the kitchen cupboards, the grand total wasn't much of anything at all—there were a few other odds and ends. Some tea, some biscuits, a few tinned things—vegetables and beans, with a tin of potted meat.

Enough for a potion-obsessed genius to subsist without too much fuss. Practically nothing for any genuine guests. At least, not for the living kind. The thought of consuming any of the items on the table made his stomach rebel at once.

It didn't help that there were no dishes either. So that meant they were either in storage, or there was only the plate, cup and bowl that rested in the drying rack by the sink.

His fangs throbbed again. Terius silently recounted his list of favorite constellations and the reasons for invoking them in various incantations.

The mental exercise helped—but not as much as it usually did.

Damned instincts.

He wanted to grab the not-exactly-glowering Severus by the throat and bite both of his ears off.

Alright.

Not both of the ears.

Maybe one.

No. Both.

Definitely both.

A slight tremor passed over him and Terius hissed softly to himself. Ears or not, he did want to bite something—no someone—and only the someone responsible for said feelings in the first place.

The thought of his fangs buried in Severus' neck sounded like an excellent idea. His claws in him sounded even better. What kind of an idiot didn't take care of themselves?

Not that his dark wish would be happening any time soon…

Terius perked a brow. He mentally added grocery shopping to his mental list, wondering if he ought to simply write an order out and have one of his sisters bring it over. He could ask a secretary, but it was probably best to stick with family for the time being.

His siblings would help without question—just as he'd done for them in the new stages of their bondings. There was something of a sibling pact they'd kept through the years and now, he was grateful to realize that it was his turn to call on it.

Even if Severus didn't mind if he left the place, he doubted the instinctual pull would actually allow him to leave, having seen what was there or not there. He didn't know anything in the area, which was more frustrating than he'd expected it to be. In Nevarah, a few spells and message bubbles would have taken care of the necessities, like stocking a pantry and ordering out dinner.

This is a new situation.

Terius paced from one end of the kitchen to the other and frowned. Exactly how much magic was too much? Surely the man didn't exist without some basic spells—he'd seen him cast a few cleaning and freshening charms after all. As far as he knew, magic didn't matter if it was properly cast and layered wards, blood partitions and other measures would certainly clear up the entire mess.

This prompted another scowl, which Terius wholeheartedly directed to Severus, who had somehow managed to stay out of the way near the entrance of the kitchen. He had an arm hooked around Draco, who nursed a glass of water, with barely any color in his face.

The scowl deepened.

Draco flinched, turning away to hide his face in the glass with another large sip.

Terius crossed his arms over his chest, already feeling a wave of tiredness over the necessity of simple conversation. He had a feeling there would be nothing simple about the conversation that they desperately needed to have.

He didn't want to deal with this any more than the two of them appeared to—at least, at first glance. But they would have to talk, if only to keep from deliberately stressing each other to a breaking point.

Silence stretched out.

Draco coughed. He clutched the glass with both hands, staring down into it, as if all the answers lay there. They didn't.

More silence passed.

"It isn't stocked," Severus began, uncomfortably. "It isn't a place that—this is just a-" the words lodged in his throat. He didn't know what to call it exactly or why he'd even brought them there, really.

Except for—he did.

It was his place.

The one place he could know they'd be safe.

A place away from prying eyes and big ears. Somewhere that secrets could possibly be shared, if that's what it took for this to work.

And oh Merlin, he wanted it to work.

Wanted so very badly for it not to turn out horribly. There was a tiny hope inside of him that perhaps, if he'd managed to give them enough space, that maybe—they wouldn't leave at the first opportunity. Severus knew Draco would stay—the young man was stubborn, if nothing else and with their Bonding, they were now, effectively, stuck with each other.

Terius was a different story. He seemed capable on the surface and there was something dependable about him. As if he'd simply take things in stride without any complaint, a sort of unflappability that Severus had once yearned to have.

He'd settled for a permanent scowl, however, and a menacing aura that had served him well in his years as a Spy and done nothing for him anywhere else in his life.

"What are you looking for?" Draco asked, watching as Terius finished inspecting the cupboards with a solemn manner.

"Dishes." Terius said, turning his attention to the drawers next. He rummaged through the handful of cooking utensils with a considering hum.

"…we have house elves for that," Draco said, at last. He frowned. "Right?" He looked to Severus.

"No."

Draco blinked. "No?"

"Potions," Severus said, simply, as if that explained everything.

Draco smoothed his hair. He supposed that did explain everything, as Severus was a man of few words and consequently fewer needs—at least, the times that he'd spent at Malfoy manor, he'd tried his best to pay attention to Severus' preferences, only to realize that there was very little to actually remember.

"House elves?" Terius repeated. "For what? Cooking and cleaning?"

The vaguely offended expression on his face, had Draco rethinking his words. "Something like that," he said, carefully. A sharp spike of disapproval had raced through their shared bond and he did not like it one bit. He hadn't thought something that uncomfortable could be transmitted through this new connection.

"I am a Pareya," Terius huffed. "That would be my responsibility."

"…without magic?"

"Magic is of no consequence," Terius shot back. He wasn't about to answer that he would clean the entire thing with his own two hands, regardless. "Besides, what's wrong with the magic?"

Now it was Draco's turn to stare in disbelief, with Severus' own dark look to echo it. "It disrupts the potions?"

"It does not." Terius said, irritated. "That's what wards are for."

Draco twitched.

"Wards do not contain the magical signatures that may affect numerous potions in various ways, subtly or otherwise," Severus said, quietly. "Please refrain from using magic while we are here."

"Wizard wards or dragel ones?" Terius countered, irritated. "There's a difference you know and I've never known for dragel wards or blood partitions to interfere with any kind of spell crafting or potion-making. The strength of the ward would depend on the caster, but the intent holds. If such things weren't invented there'd be a burial every other hour."

"I would prefer neither."

"That's not a fair request. I have work to do. This place is filthy!" Terius began to roll up his sleeves, whisking his travel robes off and floating them to a hook in the corner of the dusty kitchen. The conversation would have to wait. He was far too irritated to speak calmly and rationally. At least, not while the kitchen looked as if a dust devil had blown through.

Severus scowled from the doorway. "The house is not in imminent danger of being-"

"It needs to be cleaned as soon as possible, if we're all to stay here. I was, however, actually referring to the reason I am here in this realm," Terius snapped. "I came on work-related business and I cannot complete it without extensive magic, considering that it would require extensive inter-realm connections, portals and other communications until the original matter is resolved. That is, of course, barring any complications that may arise."

"Er—that's fine, right, Severus?" Draco tried. "I mean, you have to clean the brewing stations right now—there's nothing to be-"

"It is not a one-time deal. This is a regular occurrence."

"We'll think of something," Draco said, quickly. "You're a Councilman, right? You probably have plenty of work to catch up on without—Severus!"

"I have worked in this mansion for the past seven years without a single drop of magic beyond a basic air freshening charm." Severus growled. "That is not changing any time soon, simply because-"

"Because?" Terius snapped. "Because it's unlivable for more than one person?

Silence stretched out again.

Draco took a deep breath. Before he could speak, Severus turned away, retreating to the hallway.

"The front yard and the back garden are options." He said, stiffly. "Perhaps you'd find that more to your liking. I would prefer that you didn't cast anything inside of the mansion."

A/N: I finished this chappie! And since it's so short and I didn't see any glaring typos, I'm posting it. Enjoy!

Poor Terius and his twitchy fingers. He's going to clean that house by hook or crook. :P Severus will just have to learn...

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing (and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays or whatever you celebrate. May it be good.)!

~Scion