Disclaimer: I own nothing and do not benefit from this story other than reviews and follows. For those who have been reading along, I am trying to decide whether to keep this T or adjust into M. Please let me know your preferences and thoughts. Again, all main anecdotes and locations are from my own honeymoon. Hope you enjoy it!

The dark and silent hotel room held two newlyweds fast asleep under a full white comforter. The tension of the earlier events on hold while both were peacefully sleeping.

Then the fire alarm was blaring directly over their heads making sleep impossible.

"What's going on?" Hermione muttered from under her hair. Severus was already sitting up and fully alert due to his spy instincts.

"It seems the fire alarms are going off throughout the hotel." Severus said loudly to be heard over the ridiculous noise.

"Ugggggh."

"We had best go down and see what the situation is. If there is a fire, I might covertly put it out so we can get back to sleep."

"Unnnngh. Fine." Hermione grumpily got out of bed and put on a jumper and slacks to head down to the lobby. When they got there, every other hotel resident was in the lobby drowsy and disoriented. The hotel staff was clearly just as confused as its residents, none of their attempts managing to cease the incessant siren. For over an hour the alarm carried on with random intermittent breaks of silence that brought hope but not reprieve. Severus constantly threatened under his breath to just Silencio the whole damn thing, but Hermione knew they would have to wake up every hour to repeat the charm. She convinced him to just let the muggles figure it out. The lobby was quite comfortable, and by the time they were making their way back to their room it had become a funny story of their travels.

The sudden and unexpected event left the pair laughing and casual with each other again by the time they approached their door. Hermione was thankful because she feared she had been rather brash earlier that evening, and she didn't want to disrupt the progress they had made so far in their relationship. For she knew that's what it was between them: a relationship. She liked Severus, and she could really see herself loving him someday. Hermione hoped he could become comfortable with her physically. Physical touch was important to her, and she knew that for them to grow closer emotionally, there would need to be physical affection of some kind. But if he needed to take his time, then she would be patient. Somewhat.

Hermione certainly found him attractive, though perhaps not conventionally, but he had that aura about him that made him irresistible.

Once again, curling up in their bed, Severus seemed to be over the events of earlier as well because he wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he extended his arm under her neck. Overlapped as they were, they quickly fell back asleep.

"Are we renting a car?" Hermione asked, thoroughly flabbergasted.

"How else do you expect to get around Ireland, Mrs. Snape?" The witch still blushed whenever he called her by her married name. Severus liked a bit of color in her expression, so he continued to do so.

"I had assumed we would apparate or floo, Master Snape." She replied cheekily.

"Upon my research, I heard that the best way to see the coast was to drive it. Therefore, we need a vehicle."

"Can you drive?" she asked. Her puzzled expression amused him. She was clearly trying to picture a teenage Snape taking his driving test.

"Yes, I can drive. It has been awhile, but I am licensed. I'm sure you've heard some stories from Potter about my family. You should know that my father was not a good man. His severe aversion to all things magic made my young life rather complicated. He was determined that his son should learn something completely devoid of magic. Driving was his choice, and when I turned fifteen, he would not rest until I was proficient. At least on the rare days he was sober. My mother did not like to drive at all, so she stayed out of the process."

"Oh. Thank you for sharing that with me." They stood in silence, and Hermione's face full of understanding, devoid of pity. This was the first time he had revealed to her something from his childhood. Severus was grateful he could share the muddy aspects of his life with her without a response of pity. He abhorred pity.

"There," he pointed, "our car is ready." He guided her to the passenger door of a small white sport vehicle that the rental forms referred to as a "duster". Severus opened the door for her in a classic show of chivalry. Hermione granted him a dazzling smile before settling into her seat. How many times had a woman smiled at him in such a way? Very few if any, he would bet. He smiled to himself as he walked around to the driver's side.

"Where are we headed, Severus?" Hermione asked cheerfully, as he started up the car.

"Hmm, let's see if you can guess."

"Do I get a hint?"

"If you require it."

"It would be more fun than just a wild guess."

"Very well, I shall oblige you. Home of the famed Titanic."

She sat back and thought. Hermione smirked and answered, "I know that the Titanic left for its maiden voyage from Southampton, but we can't drive there from Dublin. So I'm supposing you mean Belfast, where the Titanic was originally built." She smiled again, this time in triumph. He chuckled in spite of himself. She loved getting the right answer. Some things never changed.

"As usual, the know-it-all lives up to her reputation. Yes, we are heading to Belfast, but make sure to keep your eyes out on the coast so that this drive is worthwhile. I must keep my eyes on the road, but I hope you will enjoy the views."

They drove along for about two hours, and stopped once to get out and enjoy the view together. The wild country air was intoxicating and spoke of freedom and simple living. Severus was enjoying their little road trip so much, he even allowed Hermione to take a picture of them near the cliffs. He thought she would reveal some muggle contraption with which to capture their image, but once posed she waved her wand in a complex twist and poke. A spark emitting from her wand bounced once, twice, thrice until it was ten feet away and flashed.

"And what, pray tell, was that little clever charm? Is it of your invention?" Severus inquired.

"Yes, actually. It's basically an extension of a Pensieve. The spell captures the image and stores it in your wand until you're ready to pour them into the Pensieve. Then you can create prints from there with the usual moving image magic."

"Incredibly clever, Hermione. Have you taught it to anyone else?"

"I have taught a few friends, but it requires more concentration to cast than the average witch or wizard would care to perform." He was glad she wanted to capture this moment of the two of them together. Severus hoped it was an inclination that she hoped their marriage would last. If she tired of him or realized the world had far more to offer, he would not stop the young witch. But on his part, he knew that even if the law were repealed, he would not wish to end it. Severus Snape was loyal to a fault. Once decided on something, he almost never looked back. His patronus was a constant reminder of that characteristic. He had thought it would change form now that his romantic feelings for Lily Evans were long gone, but he supposed the doe represented much more to him now than just his childhood friend. The doe represented his inner hope for love and kindness even while he showed the world a vengeful bastard with scathing remarks during his years of teaching and spying.

Severus and Hermione shared more personal conversations on the drive since he had opened up about his father. Hermione told him about the death of her parents in the tragic car accident five years past. Severus divulged stories about his early days in Slytherin before the Death Eaters started recruiting. The conversations continued as she shared about her first experiences with magic before school and being dazed by Diagon Alley as a muggle-born shopping for first year supplies. He relayed to her how he had to hide his magical practice at home during the summers and how he returned to teach at Hogwarts after the first Wizarding War because it was his only true home.

Severus realized long ago he had much in common with Potter but never uttered any of it aloud until this conversation with Hermione. He knew he liked her and physically desired her, but these days alone with her allowed him time to see how much he genuinely enjoyed her company. There were few silences while they were on the road. The wizard even caused the witch to laugh a few times.

Once in Belfast, they checked into a small inn located above a local pub on the outskirts of town. Very old-fashioned and not at all like the four star Dublin hotel, their room was small but cozy. Thankfully, neither seemed to mind the close quarters. This time, Severus hardly blinked when Hermione changed clothes in front of him. Though she was kind enough to give him a verbal warning. Thinking she would blush prettily, he allowed himself not to look away. She did color a bit at his gaze, but she also returned it with a shameless gaze of her own when he rearranged his shirt. All in all, the evening was shaping up quite nicely. Perhaps they could revisit yesterday's night time excursions later that night, he thought. Severus was beginning to feel more confident around his young wife. He still knew she could and should marry far better than her older former professor. However, she seemed to enjoy his company and understand his sense of humor. There was hope.

The pub fair was as expected, with simple food and good drinks. Hermione was not feeling her best. Road travel always turned her stomach. She ordered a caesar salad that turned out impressively well. Severus had some Jamison with lime along with his chicken dish. Hermione chose not to have a drink both for her stomach, and so he would not have any excuse that she wasn't conscious of her behavior. Ever since last night, she could not get him out of her head. The mere memory of his hand pressed needily on her back was enough to make her light headed. However, she was nervous to broach the subject with him again. She decided to hope that he would make the first move when he was ready. He certainly seemed more relaxed in her presence this evening. Hopefully she wouldn't have to wait long.

They met interesting people at the bar. A blonde woman in her late thirties was fascinated by Hermione's government job and asked her endless questions about what it was like being a career woman. The place was commonly a wizarding pub, so she needn't hide many details. The Irish folk were very welcoming to the two brits overall. The blonde woman introduced her boyfriend Gerard the brick layer, who was a true country Irish man. His accent was so thick, Severus could barely understand a word he was saying. The burly man even pronounced his own name "Gehaarrrrd". Hermione snickered when her and Snape's eyes met and she saw his clear signal for an S.O.S. They met a middle-aged local woman further back at the bar who was amazed they had chosen Belfast for their romantic vacation.

"Yer came 'ere for yer 'oneymoon? Ter Northern Ireland? Dis place is shit 'ole!"

Eventually they made it back up to the small room with the view of Belfast's roofs. Hermione opened the windows and took in the cool night air. She felt the gentle evening wind through the thin fabric of her nightclothes. Just as she closed her eyes to take in another whiff of the city, she felt strong hands cautiously settle on her waist. She waited to see what he would do with them next, but he seemed to be waiting for a sign. Hermione leaned back into his chest and sighed. She loved being able to rest upon his tall and slender frame. He took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist and tilt his head to kiss her where her neck met her shoulders. Her breath hitched. His kisses were soft but completely arousing. This one moment with Severus had her more excited than any fooling around she had ever done with Ron or other dalliances. She turned her head to kiss him and he took the invitation by capturing her lips with his. His hands moved from their station at her waist to explore her hips and caress the skin just above her waistline. She was feeling dizzy from the sensations running through her.

Then she realized she was truly feeling dizzy. Dizzy and a little nauseous. No, actually very nauseous. To Severus' confusion, Hermione broke from his grasp and ran to the small bathroom, casting a wandless silencing charm as she went. Turns out it was more than road sick she was feeling. Their quick lunch by the side of the road had given her food poisoning. Hermione was completely mortified to be sick in such close quarters with her new husband, but even more so because they were finally getting their moment together. What could he possibly be thinking of her? What rotten luck!

Hermione took her time cleaning herself up with a shower and vigorous tooth brushing. By the time she came out of the bathroom, the room was dark and Severus was lying still in the antique bed. One look at his face and she could see he was greatly worried. She slid into her side of the bed and put her hand on his arm.

"I'm so sorry, Severus. I'm horribly embarrassed."

"You do not need to be embarrassed, Granger. I understand your need for alone time. I apologize if I was too forward. I thought because of yesterday that – well, no matter what I thought, I should have asked –"

Her eyes widened as she realized he thought she ran away from him because of his actions.

"Oh, no, it's not that! No, I was perfectly happy to carry on with our activities." She blushed. "I think our lunch gave me food poisoning."

"Oh…" He registered what her time in the bathroom must have been. "Oh, I see." A smirk replaced his worried frown, "Am I to understand a reprise would be welcome?"

"Very much so." Hermione grinned, "Though not tonight, I'm afraid. My stomach is still on the fritz."

Severus, suddenly serious, looked directly in her eyes and declared, "I am in no hurry."

Disclaimer: I did not get food poisoning on my honeymoon, but I did have a terrible stomachache one night and we couldn't do anything. The people in the pub are based on actual examples from our St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Belfast. The middle-aged woman's quote is still our absolute favorite from the whole trip. Please please please review! Me wants them, my precious.