"Severus!" Her voice was a rushed whisper that snuck through the door jam. "Severus, please open the door," she begged. When no reply came, she continued.

"I need you," she said quietly. She had said this many times before, but now it took on a whole new meaning. He sighed and went to the door.

"Please leave," he said curtly through the heavy oak and Hermione was taken back. She furrowed her brow.

"What? No. Severus, open the door," she pleaded with mild irritation in her tone.

"I am unavailable." The reply was plain. She was unsure of how to proceed. She had never had to ask more than once before.

Severus stood by the door and listened to the silence. He knew full-well that the silence didn't mean she'd left, but rather she was trying to gather her words for an onslaught. He waited and finally she spoke, however her voice wasn't angry. Her tone wasn't what he'd expected. It was laced with disappointment. She was barely audible.

"You've never turned me away before," she said.

Severus tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't fight his own resolve. The sadness in her voice was palpable, and causing it made his heart ache. He slowly began unfastening the latch and he opened the door a hairsbreadth. A shy smile spread across her face.

"What on earth are you doing?" She wasn't angry, and her question sounded as if it was floating on air. There was a hint of laughter at the end.

"I can't see you," was his quipped reply.

"Why not?" She still didn't sound as if she took him seriously. "Severus, please, I've been thinking…"

"I've been thinking too," he interrupted, "and I can't see you."

"Can't see me?" Now she looked genuinely concerned, but she tried to shake it off. "I've been needing you ever since I left earlier. I miss you."

Severus cringed at her words. They were so bloody sweet that it hurt him to tell her no. He had always thought of himself as a strong and stable man, but she made his resolve crumble. The way the "I miss you's" and "I need you's" dripped from her mouth like honey made him want to taste the words from her lips. He opened the door silently and returned to his chair as she entered, so as not to have to look her in the face.

Hermione knew that when he was in some type of mood like this, it was best to approach him like one would a skittish cat. She hung her cloak on a hook by the door and slowly made her way into the sitting room. She tucked her feet beneath her as she sat in the chair beside him. He stared blankly into the fire.

Hermione let the silence grow for several long moments until her attention fell to the ledger on the table between them. Cautiously, she picked up the book and saw his raised eye brow. He said nothing as she casually thumbed through the pages. When she got to a blank page, she stopped.

Hermione leaned over the grab the ink well and quill near Severus. He watched her with a look of curiosity and discontent as she dipped the quill in ink and began to write. He watched her for several long moments until she placed the quill back down and handed the open book to him. She was smiling shyly and he eyed her with concern as he took the book and read:

"In vain have I struggled.

It will not do.

My feelings will not be repressed.

You must allow me to tell you how

ardently I admire and-"

Severus' mouth twitched, suggesting that he was trying to conceal the smile that threatened to spread across his face. He stared at her delicate handwriting for a long time, and Hermione watched patiently as the words resonated with him. She could tell they were by the way he didn't question them; he didn't question her.

"Jane Austen," he said in a low whisper. Suddenly his head swiveled around to face her. "Why didn't you write the last part?"

"Because," Hermione began, "this first part I know is true. The last bit I think is true, but I didn't think I should write it down yet."

"You think you could love me?" The question was serious, and heavier than he intended it to be. Hermione bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders. The smile she was concealing indicated yes, but her body language was reserved. He decided that he didn't mind that response.

Severus nodded slowly in understanding. He thought to speak, but then he picked up the quill himself. He wrote and passed the book back to Hermione. She read aloud:

"We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man; but this would be nothing if you really liked him," Hermione read aloud with a chuckle. "Oh, Severus," she said and smiled before gesturing to him that she needed the quill. He gave it to her and she wrote beneath his words and passed the book back.

"You must learn to be content being happier than you think you deserve," he read. Then, he read the line again, only slowly and more carefully this time. He cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think that's precisely how the line goes…."

"Not exactly," she acknowledged, "but I think you take my meaning."

He sighed before closing the book and placing it back down on the table. He watched her for a long time and he felt himself getting lost in a way he hadn't before. It was true that she'd always been the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, but he hadn't really thought about it until now. With the light of the fire dancing off of her skin she looked alive and rich and warm in a way that he'd never fully seen before. Perhaps that was because he'd always chose to ignore it, but in this moment he wanted to see.

"Come here," he said in a raspy tone. Hermione felt butterflies deep in the pit of her stomach. She got up and stood in front of him before his outstretched hand beckoned her into the warmth of his lap. She fell sideways against him as his arm snaked around her waist to hold her in place. She felt as if she was finally tasting the elixir she'd so badly needed when she showed up in the first place.

"How do you feel today?" Her voice was sultry and sweet and he cocked an eyebrow at her question, which he normally asked.

"Right now? I can't quantify it. I think I'm content," he said calmly and Hermione smiled. He held her for a long time, but he could tell instantly that she was not as content as he was. She was having a difficult time keeping her delicious little hips still in his lap. Every time she moved he could feel his cock twinge, but he had more self control than that. Clearly, she did not.

"How do you feel right now?"

"Hmm…eight," she replied.

"If you keep moving your hips like that I'm not going to be able to sit here much longer," he said plainly. "Stand up."

She moved to her feet and smiled like a pleased kitten as he unfastened her skirt. He slid the fabric over her hips and let it fall to a puddle on the floor. He liked the stockings she wore, which were cropped at her thighs and ornamented with lace trim. He couldn't help but caress her bare thighs in the firelight right above her stockings. The knickers she wore were tiny and red and a bit damp and she purred as his thumb grazed the soft fabric. .

Hermione sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. "What are we going to do?"

"Quiet, for now," he said in an accusatory tone. "Tonight we're going to try something new."