Warning: This chapter is really, really mushy. lol It's necessary for plot
development, but I don't want to hear anyone complain that I didn't warn
them there's a lot of gushy, lovey-dovey stuff. lmao Read, review and most
of all, try to enjoy. *smiles*
Chapter 23: When It Rains, It Pours
The end of April was drawing near, which meant May was soon to come. Blythe's mood was becoming brighter, as was the season. She was seeing Remus more often and Snape less. Both of those things made her very happy indeed. Her own bright and sunny world would soon face a monsoon however.
"Good morning, Blythe!"
"Morning, Remus!" Blythe smiled brightly and sped up to walk with him.
"You're looking cheerful today.", Remus chuckled.
"I've had more reason to be lately." She slipped her hand around his arm and strolled along beside him. "And you're looking more handsome by the day."
Remus' cheeks flushed a little. He cleared his throat and chuckled. "Thank you. I think I owe that to you though. You seem to bring out the best in me."
Blythe beamed up at him and hugged his arm. "You charmer." She giggled. "So what's on the agenda today?"
"Hmm, why not a walk around the lake?"
"Sounds lovely."
The two sauntered off outside, found a nice spot of shade under a tree and sat down. Remus leaned back against the trunk and watched the water. Blythe looked over and smiled. "We should've brought a picnic basket with us."
"That would've been a great idea. Wish we had of thought about it."
"It's an idea for another day, at least."
"That's true." Remus smiled as his eyes settled on Blythe.
She was preparing to lean against him when something caught her eye. She sat up quickly and watched.
"What is it, Blythe?"
"That dog again. The one that saved me from the lake. This is the fourth time I've seen it."
Remus followed the direction of Blythe's eyes and paled. "What's he doing out here?"
"Huh?" Blythe turned to look at him. "You know that dog? Is he a stray or lost or something?"
Remus gave his head a shake and looked back at her. "What? Oh, no, I don't know. I've seen him here before too, but I don't know where he belongs."
"That's too bad." She looked back at the animal sympathetically. "I'd like to take him in if he doesn't have any owners."
"No, Blythe. Don't go near him."
"Why not?" She looked curiously into Remus' eyes wondering if he was going to start making demands again.
"Please, Blythe, just leave him alone. I'm sure he'll find his way back home soon." He smiled nervously.
"You're keeping secrets again, Remus.", she half-jeered.
He sighed and nodded slightly. "Yes, I am, and for good reason I assure you."
Blythe shook her head and looked at the dog again. The dog was looking back, only his eyes were focused on Remus. "Are you sure you don't know that animal? He seems to know you."
Remus paled even more. "Maybe we should go back in, Blythe."
"Why?" She frowned and turned to him again. "Look, I'm tired of the hiding, Remus. I want to know what's going on. What are you keeping from me?"
"Now isn't the time. Please believe me." He stared her in the eyes looking horribly upset.
"Fine. But you'd better come clean soon, Remus Lupin. I don't play games either." She stood up and started marching back to the castle before Remus could get to his feet.
"Wait a minute, Blythe!", he called after her. He caught up after a few seconds and gently took her elbow in his hand. "Please, you have to understand how difficult this all is for me." He paused and thought for a moment, then continued. "There's so much I want to tell you, there really is. I just can't right now. I know you're losing your patience, and I blame myself for that, but if you'll only bear with me a little while longer, I swear you'll know everything. Can you wait?"
She let out a deep sigh and looked up into his supplicating eyes. She smiled and spoke soothingly as she reached up and stroked his hair back from his face. "Remus, I'm not as young as I used to be, and I'm not getting any younger. You've been hiding from me for awhile now and I think it's time you come clean. I've been waiting for what seems like an eternity, and I think I deserve to know the truth. I'm sorry, Remus, but I simply can't wait much longer."
He nodded and looked to the ground. "Yes, I know. I've been keeping you on a string for too long. At the end of this month, I'll tell you what I've been so hesitant about. Is that fair enough?"
"You have one week to gain your confidence and courage, then you have to tell me." She made a mental note that in one week it would be April the 29th.
The week came and went, and soon the day of truth arrived. Blythe waited patiently in her room, prepared for what she already knew Remus would tell her. Or so she thought.
There came a knock and Remus' voice. "Blythe? Are you there?"
"Come in.", she spoke evenly.
He entered the room with a nod of his head and closed the door. He walked to a seat opposite hers and sat down with a heavy sigh. "Shall we skip the pleasantries? Or are those still allowed?", he asked sheepishly and with a half-grin.
"Whatever makes you most comfortable." Blythe had resolved herself to show him no emotion. Nothing positive or negative in hopes that would make this easier for him.
Remus moved and looked like he wanted to take her hand, but he kept his place in the chair. "I'll just come to the point then.", he said with some disappointment in his voice. "Blythe, I'm not exactly what I seem to be. I care about you. Very deeply in fact..." His face started turning a bit red, but he continued without much pause. "...and that's why I've been hiding this from you." He reached up his hands and combed them roughly through his hair. He stopped for a few minutes and hid his face in his palms.
Blythe desperately wanted to reach out and hold him, but she refrained from doing so, thinking it was best to just leave him be and give him time to say what he needed to. "Take your time, Remus. I know you're here, I know you're going to tell me and I know this is difficult for you, so take your time."
Remus nodded but kept his face hidden in his hands. When he spoke again, his voice shook. "I-I'm not entirely human, Blythe. I'm, I'm a Werewolf. I wish I could've told you before this, but it was killing me to think that anything you felt for me would change the instant you found out. Now I know that waiting so long may end up being the very thing that turns you away. I'm sorry, Blythe."
It was then that Blythe realized why Remus' voice was shaking. She couldn't hold herself back anymore. She rose quickly from her chair and grabbed hold of him. She held him close and stroked his hair. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to himself. She spoke softly. "Remus, it's alright. I'm glad you finally told me, and it doesn't change a thing. If anything it just shows me how much you trust me and that means a lot."
He shook his head. "But I waited so long. I hid so much from you. How can you just forgive and forget all that?"
"I never said I did. I don't forgive you for holding back the truth, though I will in time. Will I ever forget this? Unlikely. It's not everyday you hear that the person you care most about is something so 'odd'."
Remus nodded and started pulling away from her. "You're too kind to me, Blythe. I don't deserve it for all the deception."
Blythe cupped his face in her hands and gently forced him to look up at her. "You deserve more than anyone else I can think of. You have been nothing but kind to me. A perfect gentleman, despite all this. And I have a confession for you too. I just hope you don't hate me for keeping my own secret."
He wiped his face quickly with his sleeve and sat back in the chair looking up at her. "And what's that?", he asked slowly.
"I already knew about you being a Werewolf. I stumbled across a paragraph about them when I was reading in the library. I figured it out myself, even though I didn't want to believe it until I heard it from you."
Remus smiled, but only faintly. His eyes glittered with something that might've been laughter. "So all this time you knew what I was but didn't let on. And all this time I've been hiding something from you that you already knew?" He chuckled nervously. "What a pair we make."
Blythe smiled down at him and nodded. "That's right."
"I have something else I want to admit to you. I do know who that dog is. He's an animagi and his name is...."
Chapter 23: When It Rains, It Pours
The end of April was drawing near, which meant May was soon to come. Blythe's mood was becoming brighter, as was the season. She was seeing Remus more often and Snape less. Both of those things made her very happy indeed. Her own bright and sunny world would soon face a monsoon however.
"Good morning, Blythe!"
"Morning, Remus!" Blythe smiled brightly and sped up to walk with him.
"You're looking cheerful today.", Remus chuckled.
"I've had more reason to be lately." She slipped her hand around his arm and strolled along beside him. "And you're looking more handsome by the day."
Remus' cheeks flushed a little. He cleared his throat and chuckled. "Thank you. I think I owe that to you though. You seem to bring out the best in me."
Blythe beamed up at him and hugged his arm. "You charmer." She giggled. "So what's on the agenda today?"
"Hmm, why not a walk around the lake?"
"Sounds lovely."
The two sauntered off outside, found a nice spot of shade under a tree and sat down. Remus leaned back against the trunk and watched the water. Blythe looked over and smiled. "We should've brought a picnic basket with us."
"That would've been a great idea. Wish we had of thought about it."
"It's an idea for another day, at least."
"That's true." Remus smiled as his eyes settled on Blythe.
She was preparing to lean against him when something caught her eye. She sat up quickly and watched.
"What is it, Blythe?"
"That dog again. The one that saved me from the lake. This is the fourth time I've seen it."
Remus followed the direction of Blythe's eyes and paled. "What's he doing out here?"
"Huh?" Blythe turned to look at him. "You know that dog? Is he a stray or lost or something?"
Remus gave his head a shake and looked back at her. "What? Oh, no, I don't know. I've seen him here before too, but I don't know where he belongs."
"That's too bad." She looked back at the animal sympathetically. "I'd like to take him in if he doesn't have any owners."
"No, Blythe. Don't go near him."
"Why not?" She looked curiously into Remus' eyes wondering if he was going to start making demands again.
"Please, Blythe, just leave him alone. I'm sure he'll find his way back home soon." He smiled nervously.
"You're keeping secrets again, Remus.", she half-jeered.
He sighed and nodded slightly. "Yes, I am, and for good reason I assure you."
Blythe shook her head and looked at the dog again. The dog was looking back, only his eyes were focused on Remus. "Are you sure you don't know that animal? He seems to know you."
Remus paled even more. "Maybe we should go back in, Blythe."
"Why?" She frowned and turned to him again. "Look, I'm tired of the hiding, Remus. I want to know what's going on. What are you keeping from me?"
"Now isn't the time. Please believe me." He stared her in the eyes looking horribly upset.
"Fine. But you'd better come clean soon, Remus Lupin. I don't play games either." She stood up and started marching back to the castle before Remus could get to his feet.
"Wait a minute, Blythe!", he called after her. He caught up after a few seconds and gently took her elbow in his hand. "Please, you have to understand how difficult this all is for me." He paused and thought for a moment, then continued. "There's so much I want to tell you, there really is. I just can't right now. I know you're losing your patience, and I blame myself for that, but if you'll only bear with me a little while longer, I swear you'll know everything. Can you wait?"
She let out a deep sigh and looked up into his supplicating eyes. She smiled and spoke soothingly as she reached up and stroked his hair back from his face. "Remus, I'm not as young as I used to be, and I'm not getting any younger. You've been hiding from me for awhile now and I think it's time you come clean. I've been waiting for what seems like an eternity, and I think I deserve to know the truth. I'm sorry, Remus, but I simply can't wait much longer."
He nodded and looked to the ground. "Yes, I know. I've been keeping you on a string for too long. At the end of this month, I'll tell you what I've been so hesitant about. Is that fair enough?"
"You have one week to gain your confidence and courage, then you have to tell me." She made a mental note that in one week it would be April the 29th.
The week came and went, and soon the day of truth arrived. Blythe waited patiently in her room, prepared for what she already knew Remus would tell her. Or so she thought.
There came a knock and Remus' voice. "Blythe? Are you there?"
"Come in.", she spoke evenly.
He entered the room with a nod of his head and closed the door. He walked to a seat opposite hers and sat down with a heavy sigh. "Shall we skip the pleasantries? Or are those still allowed?", he asked sheepishly and with a half-grin.
"Whatever makes you most comfortable." Blythe had resolved herself to show him no emotion. Nothing positive or negative in hopes that would make this easier for him.
Remus moved and looked like he wanted to take her hand, but he kept his place in the chair. "I'll just come to the point then.", he said with some disappointment in his voice. "Blythe, I'm not exactly what I seem to be. I care about you. Very deeply in fact..." His face started turning a bit red, but he continued without much pause. "...and that's why I've been hiding this from you." He reached up his hands and combed them roughly through his hair. He stopped for a few minutes and hid his face in his palms.
Blythe desperately wanted to reach out and hold him, but she refrained from doing so, thinking it was best to just leave him be and give him time to say what he needed to. "Take your time, Remus. I know you're here, I know you're going to tell me and I know this is difficult for you, so take your time."
Remus nodded but kept his face hidden in his hands. When he spoke again, his voice shook. "I-I'm not entirely human, Blythe. I'm, I'm a Werewolf. I wish I could've told you before this, but it was killing me to think that anything you felt for me would change the instant you found out. Now I know that waiting so long may end up being the very thing that turns you away. I'm sorry, Blythe."
It was then that Blythe realized why Remus' voice was shaking. She couldn't hold herself back anymore. She rose quickly from her chair and grabbed hold of him. She held him close and stroked his hair. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to himself. She spoke softly. "Remus, it's alright. I'm glad you finally told me, and it doesn't change a thing. If anything it just shows me how much you trust me and that means a lot."
He shook his head. "But I waited so long. I hid so much from you. How can you just forgive and forget all that?"
"I never said I did. I don't forgive you for holding back the truth, though I will in time. Will I ever forget this? Unlikely. It's not everyday you hear that the person you care most about is something so 'odd'."
Remus nodded and started pulling away from her. "You're too kind to me, Blythe. I don't deserve it for all the deception."
Blythe cupped his face in her hands and gently forced him to look up at her. "You deserve more than anyone else I can think of. You have been nothing but kind to me. A perfect gentleman, despite all this. And I have a confession for you too. I just hope you don't hate me for keeping my own secret."
He wiped his face quickly with his sleeve and sat back in the chair looking up at her. "And what's that?", he asked slowly.
"I already knew about you being a Werewolf. I stumbled across a paragraph about them when I was reading in the library. I figured it out myself, even though I didn't want to believe it until I heard it from you."
Remus smiled, but only faintly. His eyes glittered with something that might've been laughter. "So all this time you knew what I was but didn't let on. And all this time I've been hiding something from you that you already knew?" He chuckled nervously. "What a pair we make."
Blythe smiled down at him and nodded. "That's right."
"I have something else I want to admit to you. I do know who that dog is. He's an animagi and his name is...."