Severus didn't know how long he could stand there and hold the sobbing
girl, so he picked her up and carried her into her room. He laid her on
her bed and went to her dresser, pulled out a dry robe, and tossed it to
her. Then he pulled the shades on her four-poster.
"Why don't you switch into something dry," he instructed her as he waited outside the bed for her to do so. When she had finished she opened the curtain on her side of the bed and sat there, just looking at him with confusion and frustration evident in her eyes.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"It's the Chianti, like I said. Tomorrow I'll be back to the complete git that I've always been. So don't get used to this or anything." Severus looked at the ground and fidgeted with a set of brushes and combs that were on top of the dresser he was leaning against. Jess rolled her eyes and stood up, crossed the room to him, and took his collar with both hands. Then she drug him over to the bed and pushed him down onto it.
"Severus?" She was now looking down at him and he was sitting on the bed, looking up at her.
"Yes?"
"Lay down and shut up." Severus raised both of his eyebrows and gave her a quizzical look as he slipped his shoes off and slid back onto the bed, laying down and holding his arms open for Jess. She laid down next to him, her head on his chest, and closed the curtain to the four-poster, enclosing them both in a warm darkness that seemed to protect them from everything outside of it.
Severus found himself running his hands through her hair, smoothing it out and generally enjoying the feel of it under his fingers. He curled it around his thumb, pulled it away from her face, anything to give him an excuse to touch it. He could feel her breath warm against his belly through his robe each time she exhaled, and her head bobbed up and down with each breath he took. Neither of them said a word after that, but each simply enjoyed the way the other felt in their arms, and presently they both fell asleep that way, comfortable for the first time since either of them could remember.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon and the sound of Lucas giggling and playing with some noisy toy - sounded like blocks. For a brief moment she smiled, and then she felt alarmed. What was Lucas doing out of bed? Then she threw one hand out to her side, where Severus had slept the night before, and found that the bed was unmade and cold, and Severus was nowhere to be found. Even more alarmed Jess threw open the curtain to the bed and found her dressing gown hanging on a hook beside the bed. She took it down and wrapped it around herself, pulling the belt tight around her waist. Then she hurried out into the sitting room to see what was going on.
There was Lucas, contentedly smashing two wooden dolls together at the head and giggling with glee at the havoc he was wreaking in their little doll world. He looked up when he saw his mum enter the room and dropped the dolls. He got to his feet and pointed and laughed at the disheveled state of her hair. She put one hand to her head and realized what a mess she must look. Then her attention went to the kitchen where she could hear the sizzle of breakfast and smell the strong odor of oil and eggs. This simply couldn't be, she thought to herself as she crossed the room and ruffled Lucas' hair on her way to the kitchen.
But when she reached her destination she was proven wrong. It could be, and it was. There was Severus, busy at the stove with bacon and eggs, and filling two glasses and one bottle with milk. She looked past him to the kitchen table, and there were three places set, and Lucas' high chair was set up.
"What are you doing?"
Severus finished pouring the milk and looked at her as he placed it back in the icebox.
"It's a little thing I like to call breakfast." Severus went back to the counter, screwed the nipple onto the top of the bottle, and then picked up the two glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other and placed them at the table. "You know, everyone sits around the table in the morning and eats a meal. First of the day, you know, and they feed the baby and talk about their plans for the day ahead. That sort of thing."
Severus went to the stove and took his pan of scrambled eggs off the burner. He took the pan to the table and emptied it's contents into a huge bowl, sticking a spoon in the top of them. Then he placed the pan in the sink, went back to the stove, took the bacon, set a decent amount on all of their plates, and placed that pan in the sink as well.
"No, I mean what are you doing - here? Why? I never thought of you as the domestic type. In fact to be honest, the sight of my former potions master cooking my breakfast is a little uncomfortable." Jess kicked herself mentally. Why was she being so rude? It was as if the devil had taken control of her mouth and was spouting things off that she couldn't seem to censor.
"There's a lot you don't know about me. For instance, I cannot be pushed away by rude comments or standoffish attitudes. So if you're trying to kick me out you'd better think of a more effective way than that."
"Yes, well, I forgot that you wrote the book on rude comments and standoffish attitudes." Damn it! There she went again!
"And if you're not careful you'll have the sequel written before you know it." It was maddening to Jess the way he just went about his business as he talked to her, as if her remarks didn't phase him a bit. It was almost as if he were operating on a higher plane of existence, looking down on her as he worked but not bothered by her in the slightest.
"Mahhhhh," Lucas called from his playpen. He must have sensed that the two were having another round at pissing each other off, and saw it as his place to intervene. Jess just stood there, her arms crossed, watching Severus go about his business.
"You'd better go and get Luke. I expect he's getting quite hungry." Jess scowled good-naturedly and went into the other room to collect her son. When she picked Lucas up he took each of her cheeks in one of his hands and kissed her loudly square on the forehead.
"Morning mum," he seemed to say. When Jess walked him past Severus he put both of his hands to his mouth and kissed them, then threw them out towards Severus as if he wanted to blow kisses.
"Silly boy," Jess playfully scolded him. "The nasty old potions master doesn't like kisses," she said as she placed him in his high chair. When she stood up she was surprised by the sensation of a hand being run along her waist, herself being drawn up against Severus' body, and his warm breath in his ear as he leaned down and whispered something to her.
"Says who?" Then he placed one swift and simple peck on her cheek, released her, and went back to preparing their plates. Lucas seemed to feel that the moment needed lightened, so he took an especially greasy piece of bacon and flicked it expertly against Severus' forehead.
"Thank you, Lucas, but I have plenty of my own bacon here." Severus didn't even lift an eye to the boy as he answered, but Luke seemed to know that the comment was for him because he giggled and clapped his hands loudly, obviously very proud of himself. Severus then picked up the stray piece of bacon and handed it back to Lucas, who took it with a smile and bit into it, all seven of his teeth working hard at grinding it up before he swallowed it.
And so breakfast went, the three of them laughing and getting on like old friends for the better portion of the morning.
"Why don't you switch into something dry," he instructed her as he waited outside the bed for her to do so. When she had finished she opened the curtain on her side of the bed and sat there, just looking at him with confusion and frustration evident in her eyes.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"It's the Chianti, like I said. Tomorrow I'll be back to the complete git that I've always been. So don't get used to this or anything." Severus looked at the ground and fidgeted with a set of brushes and combs that were on top of the dresser he was leaning against. Jess rolled her eyes and stood up, crossed the room to him, and took his collar with both hands. Then she drug him over to the bed and pushed him down onto it.
"Severus?" She was now looking down at him and he was sitting on the bed, looking up at her.
"Yes?"
"Lay down and shut up." Severus raised both of his eyebrows and gave her a quizzical look as he slipped his shoes off and slid back onto the bed, laying down and holding his arms open for Jess. She laid down next to him, her head on his chest, and closed the curtain to the four-poster, enclosing them both in a warm darkness that seemed to protect them from everything outside of it.
Severus found himself running his hands through her hair, smoothing it out and generally enjoying the feel of it under his fingers. He curled it around his thumb, pulled it away from her face, anything to give him an excuse to touch it. He could feel her breath warm against his belly through his robe each time she exhaled, and her head bobbed up and down with each breath he took. Neither of them said a word after that, but each simply enjoyed the way the other felt in their arms, and presently they both fell asleep that way, comfortable for the first time since either of them could remember.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon and the sound of Lucas giggling and playing with some noisy toy - sounded like blocks. For a brief moment she smiled, and then she felt alarmed. What was Lucas doing out of bed? Then she threw one hand out to her side, where Severus had slept the night before, and found that the bed was unmade and cold, and Severus was nowhere to be found. Even more alarmed Jess threw open the curtain to the bed and found her dressing gown hanging on a hook beside the bed. She took it down and wrapped it around herself, pulling the belt tight around her waist. Then she hurried out into the sitting room to see what was going on.
There was Lucas, contentedly smashing two wooden dolls together at the head and giggling with glee at the havoc he was wreaking in their little doll world. He looked up when he saw his mum enter the room and dropped the dolls. He got to his feet and pointed and laughed at the disheveled state of her hair. She put one hand to her head and realized what a mess she must look. Then her attention went to the kitchen where she could hear the sizzle of breakfast and smell the strong odor of oil and eggs. This simply couldn't be, she thought to herself as she crossed the room and ruffled Lucas' hair on her way to the kitchen.
But when she reached her destination she was proven wrong. It could be, and it was. There was Severus, busy at the stove with bacon and eggs, and filling two glasses and one bottle with milk. She looked past him to the kitchen table, and there were three places set, and Lucas' high chair was set up.
"What are you doing?"
Severus finished pouring the milk and looked at her as he placed it back in the icebox.
"It's a little thing I like to call breakfast." Severus went back to the counter, screwed the nipple onto the top of the bottle, and then picked up the two glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other and placed them at the table. "You know, everyone sits around the table in the morning and eats a meal. First of the day, you know, and they feed the baby and talk about their plans for the day ahead. That sort of thing."
Severus went to the stove and took his pan of scrambled eggs off the burner. He took the pan to the table and emptied it's contents into a huge bowl, sticking a spoon in the top of them. Then he placed the pan in the sink, went back to the stove, took the bacon, set a decent amount on all of their plates, and placed that pan in the sink as well.
"No, I mean what are you doing - here? Why? I never thought of you as the domestic type. In fact to be honest, the sight of my former potions master cooking my breakfast is a little uncomfortable." Jess kicked herself mentally. Why was she being so rude? It was as if the devil had taken control of her mouth and was spouting things off that she couldn't seem to censor.
"There's a lot you don't know about me. For instance, I cannot be pushed away by rude comments or standoffish attitudes. So if you're trying to kick me out you'd better think of a more effective way than that."
"Yes, well, I forgot that you wrote the book on rude comments and standoffish attitudes." Damn it! There she went again!
"And if you're not careful you'll have the sequel written before you know it." It was maddening to Jess the way he just went about his business as he talked to her, as if her remarks didn't phase him a bit. It was almost as if he were operating on a higher plane of existence, looking down on her as he worked but not bothered by her in the slightest.
"Mahhhhh," Lucas called from his playpen. He must have sensed that the two were having another round at pissing each other off, and saw it as his place to intervene. Jess just stood there, her arms crossed, watching Severus go about his business.
"You'd better go and get Luke. I expect he's getting quite hungry." Jess scowled good-naturedly and went into the other room to collect her son. When she picked Lucas up he took each of her cheeks in one of his hands and kissed her loudly square on the forehead.
"Morning mum," he seemed to say. When Jess walked him past Severus he put both of his hands to his mouth and kissed them, then threw them out towards Severus as if he wanted to blow kisses.
"Silly boy," Jess playfully scolded him. "The nasty old potions master doesn't like kisses," she said as she placed him in his high chair. When she stood up she was surprised by the sensation of a hand being run along her waist, herself being drawn up against Severus' body, and his warm breath in his ear as he leaned down and whispered something to her.
"Says who?" Then he placed one swift and simple peck on her cheek, released her, and went back to preparing their plates. Lucas seemed to feel that the moment needed lightened, so he took an especially greasy piece of bacon and flicked it expertly against Severus' forehead.
"Thank you, Lucas, but I have plenty of my own bacon here." Severus didn't even lift an eye to the boy as he answered, but Luke seemed to know that the comment was for him because he giggled and clapped his hands loudly, obviously very proud of himself. Severus then picked up the stray piece of bacon and handed it back to Lucas, who took it with a smile and bit into it, all seven of his teeth working hard at grinding it up before he swallowed it.
And so breakfast went, the three of them laughing and getting on like old friends for the better portion of the morning.