Getting Burned

They repeated the same pattern for the next several hours. They didn't talk much, as there wasn't much to say. The potion was getting cold and the fall in temperature actually made it taste a little bit better. Eventually a couple of house elves came in with trays of food. Snape fixed a plate for Vexus and helped her to sit up and eat. She was doing rather well, but they both knew that it was only the potion hiding the pain. She still had a broken bone somewhere and every time she moved around they both winced.

Snape had taken her shoes off to look at her foot. It was slightly swollen and had a large purplish bruise spreading across the top. He tried not to notice that her toenails were just as meticulously painted and she had several small rings of some of her toes.

After they had finished eating and the food had been cleared away Vexus was lying in the bed wondering if she should say something to the professor. She had to go to the bathroom but she knew 1) she'd never get there without his help and 2) she wasn't going to be able to unfasten her robes. 'o.k. This is just going to be an endurance test.' she thought. But another voice in her mind chose that moment to speak up 'Do you really think you can go for forty-eight hours with out going to the bathroom?'

"Damn.' she thought. 'All right, here goes.'

She looked across the room at Snape who was now sitting at the table scribbling notes on something. "Um, Professor?"

He looked up at her "Yes?"

She took a deep breath "I have to go to the bathroom." She felt her face go red and she wanted to hide under the blanket.

It took him a moment to understand; when he did Vexus swore she saw his cheeks go a little pink. He sat there for a moment and then put the quill down and walked to the bed. "Well, let's get this over with." He pulled back the blanket and helped Vexus sit up.

"Professor, I'm not going to be able to get my robes out of the way, so I thought maybe I should just take them off."

"Well, take them off." he kept his voice flat.

She shot him a mean look "You know I'm not able to do that. Don't you pay attention?"

"Fine." He unfastened the robes and helped her slide her injured shoulder out. "Do you need anything else removed?"

She wasn't wearing her school uniform, but a pair of pants and a button-down shirt. She looked at the pants, then at the professor. Then back at the pants. "Nope, I can handle the rest. Let's go."

He tried to help her stand but it just wasn't happening, so with an expression of exasperation he picked her up and carrier her across the room to the bathroom. Once inside he sat her down and helped her steady her self. "Are you sure you can do this. I can assist if you need me to."

Vexus was looking at the floor "Nope, I can handle it. I'll call you." Snape watched her for a moment before leaving. As he pulled the door closed Vexus winced. Her foot and shoulder hurt so bad she wanted to scream. She figured that it must have been getting time for the next cupful of that nasty concoction. It took a lot longer than normal but eventually she got finished and called Snape. He came back in and picked her up again. When he laid her down she saw the cup of green liquid sitting on the table next to the bed.

"I thought it was about time for more," she said.

"Hmmm. Well, you're right." he handed the cup to her and watched to make sure she got it all down. He took it back and sat it down on the table. While she had been in the bathroom (for an eternity it seemed) he had been thinking. He really should look at the shoulder and try to figure out how much damage had been done. He knew that she didn't want him to inspect it, as it would involve the removal of her shirt. But it simply had to be done.

"Vexus," he started

She waved her hand "I know, you need to look at my shoulder. I've been thinking the same thing." she set her face in a look of grim determination and he helped her sit back up. He then stood up and went into the bathroom. 'Well, if I've got to do this, the least I can do is have a little fun with him in the process. Because I am sure he is dreading this as much as I am.' she was thinking. Until that little voice spoke up again (when did I start hearing multiple voices in my head?) 'You aren't really dreading it THAT much, are you?'

"Shut-up." she said

I beg your pardon?" asked Snape

"Nothing."

He nearly smiled "You need to stop talking to yourself. Let's get this done."

He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She was getting the buttons undone, albeit slowly, but she was getting it done. When she had finished she looked up at him. He reached over and eased the shirt off. She couldn't help but smile at the expression on his face. He looked like he was handling some particularly disgusting ingredients. "Surely I'm not as bad as all that?"

It caught him off guard and he said "No." before he thought better of it.

"Good. Now, how bad is it?" she asked. He was looking at her neck and could see where the break was. "It looks like your collar-bone. Not a bad one to heal up," he ran his hand over her shoulder blade feeling for anything that might be injured as well. He noticed that she jumped when he had touched her. 'She probably thinks my hands are ice cold' he screwed up his face into a sneer, which Vexus didn't see because she was looking intently at her toes.

She had felt herself jumped and thought that his hands were remarkably warm. 'Stop. You just stop right there. You don't even need to think about anything like that.' she was thinking. Again that pesky voice spoke up from the back 'Face it; you've got a thing for him. Don't you?'

'No.'

"C'mon admit it!'

"No!'

"Vexus?" she heard Snape say her name and realized that she had been too caught up in her inner dialogue to hear him. "I'm Sorry Professor, what did you say?" she still didn't look up at his face.

"The only bad break seems to be your collar bone, however I am not a healer." he stopped. She still wasn't looking at him "I think that since it is getting late and you're already halfway undressed we may as well go a head and get a bath."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide "Professor, I don't know. I mean this is highly irregular to start off with.." she let it trail off "All right, all right." He nodded and picked her up again. When they got into the bathroom he sat her down. She looked miserable and he tried to ease her mind "During the summer you go swimming, right?" he asked.

"Yes." was the mumbled reply

"You wear a bathing suit?"

"Well, yeah, I'm not one for swimming around naked." she shot back. Then she smiled "So just think of this as me being in a bikini versus being in my underwear?"

"Bikini?"

"Oh for the love of God, you know what a bikini is! " she actually grinned at him. He started running water in the tub.

Soon it was full and they had gotten the pants off. "When you are finished or if you need help, I'll be right out side." she turned around for him to unfasten the bra ("no way in hell I'm gonna be able to do it") and take her hair down ("can't manage that one either.")

She managed to get undressed the rest of the way once he'd left and into the tub. The water was very hot but it was good. She could feel the tension from many things begin to slip away. Her shoulder still hurt and her foot was throbbing. However she could feel it diminishing as the warmth of the water penetrated.

Outside Severus was trying to calm down. He had managed to control his nerves as he had held her against him again and he had kept his hands steady as he unbuttoned her pants and slid them down. He had done his best not to look at her but he couldn't help it. Her skin was pure white and unblemished. He had even noticed the small hoop in her bellybutton. How old was she now anyway? 17? 18? He didn't remember.

When she had turned around for him to unfasten the bra and take her hair down it took all he had not to fall over. She had stood very still the whole time and not met his eyes once. How had she managed to be so still?

'But she's been like that all her life, even as a baby, Severus. You were there remember?' the thought entered his head unbidden.

He pulled the chair over next to the door and sat down. He did think that he felt her lean into him the last time he picked her up. "I don't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. "I can handle this."

Suddenly the image of her hair tumbling down over his hands and down her bare back when he had undone it came to his mind and made him shake. "Bloody-hell." He put his face in his hands "You can not deny what you feel."

Back in the bathroom Vexus had finally finished washing her self and had gotten her hair wet. Washing it was another matter. No matter how she tried, strained, turned or twisted she just couldn't do it. She sat there fuming for a few minutes before calling to Snape "Professor, I need some help."

As she waited for him to comeback into the room she thought 'Probably better anyway I have no idea which of these' she looked at the assortment of bottles around the room 'is shampoo.'

Snape stepped in side and asked, "Are you finished?"

"No, I can't wash my hair." she was blushing again and was glad that the tub was filled with bubbles. All that was visible was her head and shoulders.

Snape stood there for a moment, and then removed his robes. He began unbuttoning the many buttons that ran up his sleeves. Vexus watched silently.

Once he was unbuttoned up to his elbows he rolled up his sleeves and walked over to the tub. He picked up a bottle that had a light blue-green substance in it and the pitcher by the sink.

Vexus still didn't say anything, but she had noticed the mark on his arm. 'He was a Death Eater. Remember?' suddenly she wanted to have a closer look at the skull and snake but decided against asking.

Since her hair was already wet he poured some of the liquid onto is hands but stood there a moment before he started massaging the shampoo into her hair.

"That smells good." she finally said, "It smells like" she took a deep breath "the ocean."

He was always pleased by her ability to tell a good bit about the nature of a potion merely by its smell. "It has seaweed and some ocean water in it."

She closed her eyes and couldn't help thinking how good his hands felt in her hair. She had always liked his hands she knew they were strong. She had seen him crushing ingredients many times. She tried very hard not to imagine what it would feel like if he slid his hands down her neck and over her shoulders. Vexus couldn't repress the shiver that the thought brought on.

Severus noticed it. He had finished with her that was above water. "Vexus, I am going to reach down for the rest of your hair now."

She nodded and leaned slightly forward. Vexus felt his hands brush against her back 'Oh bloody freaking hell. I am enjoying this too much.' she thought. If she had decided to be completely honest with herself she'd admit that she had loved him for some time now. She might even mention that she heard his voice when she dreamed. If she had been completely honest, that is.

Vexus was snapped out of her reverie by the cascade of water over her head. Behind her Snape allowed himself a smile. He knew she hadn't been paying attention.

"Why you low-down-fifthy.."She sputtered.

Snape looked back at her innocently "Do you require any further assistance?"

"No." she sneered.

He turned and left the room while she sat there trying to figure out how she was going to get out of the tub.

It took her 10 minutes to get out and get a towel around her. She quickly muttered a drying spell for her hair. She didn't have her wand but simple things like that spell were as easy as thinking for her now. She steadied herself against the tub and called out again "Professor, I'm ready."

He came back in and carried her back over to the bed. She noticed that he hadn't rolled his sleeves back down yet. Once she was sitting she thought of something "Um, I need some clothes."

He had walked over to the large wardrobe next to the closet. Without turning around he said "I sent one of the house elves upstairs for some nightclothes from your room." he turned around with a long black nightshirt. "Let's just say that it's too cold in here for you to wear anything they brought back. So you can use this." He tossed it onto the bed and continued, "I am going to go to my office. I need to make up another batch of that draught. Get dressed. If you want to go to sleep, just pull the curtains and I'll know to be quiet when I get back."

Vexus didn't need a mirror to know her face was red, again. Which was worse? Having the house elves rummaging through her clothes or having Snape give his assessment of said clothes. She groaned and looked at the closed door where he had left. 'How it the hell am I supposed to get this on? And what about my underwear?'  She thought.

"I knew that today was going to suck" she laughed suddenly "And Professor Trelawney said I didn't have the gift of sight!" She laughed harder but had to stop when her shoulder throbbed.

Down in his office Snape was making a double batch of the thick-goopy potion and was smiling. The look on her face had been priceless. 'That was uncalled for.' said a small voice in his head 'you didn't have to humiliate her more. She's had enough today hasn't she?'

Snape stopped smiling and picked up the cauldron. He made it back down the hall and when he entered the room again she was still sitting on the side of the bed wrapped up in the towel. "Why aren't you dressed?" he was upset. He didn't need her sitting around his chambers nearly naked.

"Well, professor, isn't it obvious?" her voice was icy "I am waiting to seduce you. Or hadn't you noticed?"

"Insolent. Why I should...you...cheeky.." he stuttered

She smiled "I was joking. I am still not dressed for two reasons." she paused "One, I have no underwear." She saw the color rise in his cheeks and continued "Two, just exactly how am I supposed to get that shirt over my head?"

He stalked over to the basket of clothes the elf had brought down and sat it on the bed. She looked up "ok underwear problem solved. Now what about this shirt?" He picked it up and froze thinking.

She was smiling again "Just put it over my head and help me get my arms in. then I'll stand and pull it down before I take off the towel. The undies will wait until the shirt is on. Nothing is revealed and my innocence doesn't get corrupted."

He smirked "If I am not mistaken it's a little too late for that." he didn't believe he said it and she was looking at him like he had gone mad. The she laughed. "Well, yes, I suppose that it is a lost cause at this point."

They got the shirt on and he helped her stand up and pull it down over the towel. She got a pair of underwear out of the basket and he turned around. Severus had to stand in front of her so she could hold on and steady herself. He felt her fingers wrap around his left arm, right over the Dark Mark. He looked down and saw (and felt) the mark start, ever so slightly, to turn black. He snapped "Are you finished?" never taking his eyes from his arm.

"Yep." she said letting go. He quickly pulled his sleeve down. Snape turned around and let he put her arms around his neck so he could help her into the bed again. His eyes met hers and they both froze. All day long she hadn't looked him squarely in the eyes. She knew that if she did it was over. Any pretense she had about not loving him would be gone. Now after everything that had happened she looked at him and saw in his eyes the same thing she felt.

He took a deep breath and saw the same thing she did. Slowly, still not sure what he was doing, other than it seemed the right thing to do, he lowered his head closer to hers.

Vexus saw it and lifted her face to meet him. Suddenly he pulled back. His voice was only slightly above a whisper "No, we can't. You don't want me to.."

She interrupted "We can and I do."

He pulled her up against him and kissed her. To Vexus if felt like she had been struck by lightning. All the things she had never felt with Toby seemed to be speeding through her veins. She felt like she had been shocked.

Snape felt the release of years of anxiety. He could feel her kissing him back and he could also feel, on his arm, the Dark Mark burning again.