The first time they Apparated they appeared in an alleyway. It looked like the same alley in the same Muggle town they had been in before, but Freddie didn't have time to get her bearings before she felt herself being whisked away again. This time when her feet hit the ground, her head was still spinning. Snape held her steady until her head cleared and she saw that they were in a forest – the same clearing in the forest where they had stopped on their journey down.
"Are we here to have another heartfelt conversation?" she asked him teasingly.
"Very funny," he said dryly. "Are you okay to make another jump?"
"Uh, maybe. I guess. How many times do you expect me to-" But she didn't finish her question before he was Disapparating with her again.
She didn't recognize the third location, another forest of trees but closer together than the last.. She barely registered the smell of salt in the air before she was spinning again, her body being compressed on all sides. When they had successfully Apparated for a fourth time Freddie hit her knees before Snape could stop her from falling. Ziggy jumped from her shoulder, meowing loudly, and Snape crouched beside them.
"Are you okay, Winifred?" he asked, concerned. He put a hand on her back.
"Ugh," was her only response. She was regretting having eaten so much and was worried the mille-feuille pastries were about to make a reappearance. Eventually her stomach settled and her vision cleared. "I can't do that again, Severus. Not right now."
"You don't have to," he assured her, rubbing her back. "Because we are here."
Freddie jumped up so quick she nearly knocked him over. They were standing on the edge of a lake, similar to the one they had left but she could see trees on the other side of this one. There was a wooden dock jutting out from their side of the shore and the late afternoon sun had painted the sky in beautiful shades of red and orange.
"A lake? I mean, it's a beautiful lake-"
Snape interrupted her, grabbing her arm gently. He turned her around and Freddie found herself looking at a quaint log cabin, complete with a porch that had deck chairs and a fire pit.
"Ohh...a cabin," she said and smiled up at him. "We're staying here?"
"Mm-hm," he said, pulling her close to him so he could kiss her forehead. "It is quiet...secluded...I thought it would be a good place to spend the holiday together. There is a Muggle town not too far away where we can get food, drinks, anything you might want."
"Thank you, Severus," she said happily and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.
"You like it?" he asked, a small smirk on his lips.
"I love it! I'd love being anywhere alone with you, but this...it's a beautiful place. How did you find it?"
"I have my ways," he answered mysteriously, still smirking. "Would you like to see inside?"
"Yes please!"
He chuckled softly at her enthusiasm and took her by the hand. Ziggy trotted after them as they headed for the cabin.
"Where are we anyway?" she asked, looking around at the lake and the trees. "Are we still in France?"
"No, we are back on our side of the Channel, where people speak English. I was tired of speaking French, I am not completely fluent."
"Aw, I like the French language. It sounds almost like music, especially when Ada speaks it. It's a beautiful language."
"Oh? Aimez-vous quand je parle français?" he asked slowly as they walked up the steps to the porch. "Mon petite fille."
"Yes," she said breathlessly, thinking that the language was even more lovely from his lips. "Although I have no idea what you just said."
"You will learn," he chuckled softly, then pulled her to him and kissed her. What started as a light kiss quickly turned passionate and before she knew it he had her pinned against the porch rail with his arms around her.
"Tu es si belle," he whispered against her lips. He slipped his hands beneath her sweater, brushing the skin of her lower back.
"Did you just tell me I'm beautiful?" she asked, feeling flushed.
"Mm. Trés belle," he said and kissed her lips again. "You are learning already."
"Oui," she said then gasped as his fingers skirted lightly up her back. He had her sweater halfway off already and they hadn't even made it inside the cabin. "Are we really- mm-" He kissed her again. "-outside?"
"Et si je dis oui?" he asked, teasing the clasp of her bra.
"It's not cute when I can't understand what you're saying," she said with a fake pout, turning her face away so he couldn't kiss her again. He chuckled softly.
"You love it," he purred in her ear. "Mon petite fille."
Little girl, she thought as his lips skimmed her ear, making her squirm. 'Petite fille' must mean little girl.
"We will do it outside if I want," he said, and kissed a spot below her ear that made her melt. "I can do whatever I want to you here. There's no one around to see."
Freddie leaned back into the railing as he kissed the spot again, then he continued his kisses down from that spot, down her neck...and then he stopped abruptly when he reached the bandage and pulled back to look at her.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice full of concern and sympathy.
"It's not so bad," she said with a shrug. She had looked at her neck in the bathroom mirror before dinner and it had looked terrible. There were bruises all the way around her neck that were purple even with the medicine on them. She imagined they must have looked even worse before that.
He sighed softly and kissed her lips once, but she could tell he was still worried about her. She could see it in his eyes.
"Let's go inside," he murmured softly. "It's getting dark."
"Okay," she agreed, but she was a little disappointed. She had just started to like the idea of him fucking her on the porch. But she was cold.
"Did you rent this place?" she asked curiously as Snape opened the sliding glass door.
"Something like that," he answered with a wry smile. "After you, mon petite fille."
Freddie grinned and stepped inside the cabin. There was a large fireplace along one of the walls and there was already a fire crackling inside. It cast a dim light and Freddie could see a couch was situated in front of the fireplace. Snape walked in behind her, letting Ziggy in before he slid the door shut. Then he flipped a switch, and the room was flooded with artificial light from a Muggle lamp that hung from a wooden beam on the ceiling. With the extra light she could see the rest of the furniture in the room – the comfortable-looking leather couch was flanked on both sides by armchairs that faced each other at an angle in front of the fireplace. A small wooden coffee table sat in front of the couch. The other side of the open room was a kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, stove, and a few small appliances that Freddie didn't recognize. There was a wooden dining table as well with four chairs around it.
"Is this where you disappeared to after dinner?" Freddie asked as she went to warm herself by the fireplace. "You went all this way just to light the fire before you brought me here?"
"Among other things," he answered as he came up behind her. "I lit the fire and placed charms around the area to ensure that we will not be disturbed while we are here. I also had to make sure there were no Muggles already in residence here."
"What would you have done if there had been someone here?"
"I had a backup plan," he said with a shrug. "We would have gone elsewhere."
"Where were your backup locations?" she wanted to know, but he only smiled enigmatically. "...I can't believe you made all those jumps twice. Aren't you exhausted?"
"I have far more stamina for Apparition than you do, Winifred," he said, slipping his arms around her from behind. "I have been doing it a lot longer."
"Mm," she responded and leaned back against him. They were finally alone and he felt so warm and wonderful. His grip on her tightened and he moved to kiss her neck – but stopped again and she felt his body stiffen.
"What's wrong?" she asked as his arms loosened around her waist.
"I was going to kiss your neck, but...I don't want to hurt you," he said softly. "Not like that anyway."
"You won't hurt me, Severus. I trust you," she said, turning around in his arms to look at him. "...But if it bothers you so much, I have plenty of other body parts you can kiss."
His eyes darkened in the firelight and he smiled slowly.
"I can do that."