~Author's Note~
Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but it was just a little one-shot that was knocking around in my head, begging to be written. I have no idea where I'll go from here, but as soon as I figure it out I'll post it. Thanks for all the awesome reviews and for reading. It means a lot. ~Peace~
That night, after Severus had insisted on bathing and feeding Lucas again, he and Jess sat together on the loveseat and finished what was left of the Chianti, talking and laughing and generally enjoying each other's company. Though if either of them were asked outright they would have said that they were merely tolerating each other.
Jess was feeling thoroughly wrecked after three glasses of the potent wine and she found that her tongue became quite loose when she was feeling that way.
"Why do you insist on acting like Lucas' father?" The question came out as easily as asking the time of day, and Jess didn't seem to realize that she'd asked a question that might take some consideration.
Severus swallowed the mouthful of wine he had taken and set the glass down on the end table beside the loveseat, turned to Jess, and looked her over for a moment.
"If I answer that, then I get to ask you a question."
Jess considered this for a moment before giving her consent. "Fine," she said. "So why do you?"
Severus folded his hands in front of him and took a deep breath, as if preparing for a long journey. "He reminds me of my daughter."
Jess' eyes became wide and she looked at Severus as if she were seeing him for the first time. "I never knew you had a -"
"Like I said before. There are a lot of things you don't know about me."
"Well what happened? Where is she now?"
"She was killed when she was ten months old. As was my wife."
"Your -" Jess stopped herself. This whole silly crush she had been indulging in suddenly seemed wrong and strange. It felt as if she were intruding on someone else's property. Without realizing she had done it, Jess straightened herself and scooted a bit farther away from Severus on the loveseat.
"Yes. It was a thousand years ago." A look came over his face as if he had just traveled back that thousand years and seen his wife and daughter standing straight in front of him. Jess looked at the fire, at which Severus was now staring, and then back at him, just to make sure she wasn't missing something. "We were both young. Married straight out of Hogwarts. She had become involved with the Dark Lord's circle and I followed blindly. I was a fool. It didn't take long before she found herself in bad odor with the deatheaters. She had been fickle and wavered when it came right down to performing her duties as one of Voldemort's lackeys. I had been away on an assignment with a few other deatheaters. Busywork, I was to find out later. A simple ploy to get me to leave the house. While I was gone they were -" Severus' voice cracked here, and he looked at the ground. This had just the effect he had hoped, because Jess didn't see the tear slide from his eye and slip down his cheek, dropping from there to the floor without a sound.
"You don't have to -"
"No. I need to. The only other person I've ever told has been Albus. But there's another reason you need to know." At this point Severus looked up at Jess and took one of her hands, enveloping it in one of his. "I care for you. I honestly care for you and I don't know how you feel about me, but if there's any hope for us to become what I know we could, you have a right to know, and a need to know." She couldn't say why, but she felt the sudden urge to encourage him. She covered his hand with her free hand and squeezed tightly, but she didn't say a word. She just left it up to him to continue.
"Anyway, that was when I came straight to Albus. It was the only place I knew to come. No one else has ever been as forgiving and patient as that man. He's like a father to me. He took me in and gave me a job, and in exchange I became a spy. A sort of double agent. The deatheaters think that I am here to spy for them, but none of the information I give them is truthful. Of course, there are certain members of the dark lord's circle that I have to sneak around. I won't name names, but there are a few on the board of directors for the school that must be pacified." At this point Severus looked up to Jess' eyes with something more in his own. He seemed to be searching her for something. Was it forgiveness? Acceptance.
Whatever it was the look of pure compassion in her eyes was enough to satisfy him. Slowly, as if afraid that she would anger him, she placed one hand on the left sleeve of his robe. She glanced up at him before she went on, but he seemed to know what she was about to do and he seemed to be all right with it. Gently she slid the sleeve up to the elbow and found just what she had expected. There, burned into the skin in an ugly black brand, was the dark mark.
"I'll understand if you can't accept it." Jess looked up to him then, her brows furrowed not in confusion or frustration, but in pity, and she cast on him every warm and loving feeling she had in herself. She placed one hand atop the mark, covering it completely, and then guided his hand to her face, where he gripped her tightly but gently, underneath her jaw. Then she leaned in, her eyes closing as their lips touched for the first time.
When they broke apart she opened her eyes and looked straight into his, her breath somewhat labored and her voice the slightest bit shaky.
"What's your question for me, then?"
"What gave you the impression that I didn't like kisses," Snape asked as he pulled her back toward him.
Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but it was just a little one-shot that was knocking around in my head, begging to be written. I have no idea where I'll go from here, but as soon as I figure it out I'll post it. Thanks for all the awesome reviews and for reading. It means a lot. ~Peace~
That night, after Severus had insisted on bathing and feeding Lucas again, he and Jess sat together on the loveseat and finished what was left of the Chianti, talking and laughing and generally enjoying each other's company. Though if either of them were asked outright they would have said that they were merely tolerating each other.
Jess was feeling thoroughly wrecked after three glasses of the potent wine and she found that her tongue became quite loose when she was feeling that way.
"Why do you insist on acting like Lucas' father?" The question came out as easily as asking the time of day, and Jess didn't seem to realize that she'd asked a question that might take some consideration.
Severus swallowed the mouthful of wine he had taken and set the glass down on the end table beside the loveseat, turned to Jess, and looked her over for a moment.
"If I answer that, then I get to ask you a question."
Jess considered this for a moment before giving her consent. "Fine," she said. "So why do you?"
Severus folded his hands in front of him and took a deep breath, as if preparing for a long journey. "He reminds me of my daughter."
Jess' eyes became wide and she looked at Severus as if she were seeing him for the first time. "I never knew you had a -"
"Like I said before. There are a lot of things you don't know about me."
"Well what happened? Where is she now?"
"She was killed when she was ten months old. As was my wife."
"Your -" Jess stopped herself. This whole silly crush she had been indulging in suddenly seemed wrong and strange. It felt as if she were intruding on someone else's property. Without realizing she had done it, Jess straightened herself and scooted a bit farther away from Severus on the loveseat.
"Yes. It was a thousand years ago." A look came over his face as if he had just traveled back that thousand years and seen his wife and daughter standing straight in front of him. Jess looked at the fire, at which Severus was now staring, and then back at him, just to make sure she wasn't missing something. "We were both young. Married straight out of Hogwarts. She had become involved with the Dark Lord's circle and I followed blindly. I was a fool. It didn't take long before she found herself in bad odor with the deatheaters. She had been fickle and wavered when it came right down to performing her duties as one of Voldemort's lackeys. I had been away on an assignment with a few other deatheaters. Busywork, I was to find out later. A simple ploy to get me to leave the house. While I was gone they were -" Severus' voice cracked here, and he looked at the ground. This had just the effect he had hoped, because Jess didn't see the tear slide from his eye and slip down his cheek, dropping from there to the floor without a sound.
"You don't have to -"
"No. I need to. The only other person I've ever told has been Albus. But there's another reason you need to know." At this point Severus looked up at Jess and took one of her hands, enveloping it in one of his. "I care for you. I honestly care for you and I don't know how you feel about me, but if there's any hope for us to become what I know we could, you have a right to know, and a need to know." She couldn't say why, but she felt the sudden urge to encourage him. She covered his hand with her free hand and squeezed tightly, but she didn't say a word. She just left it up to him to continue.
"Anyway, that was when I came straight to Albus. It was the only place I knew to come. No one else has ever been as forgiving and patient as that man. He's like a father to me. He took me in and gave me a job, and in exchange I became a spy. A sort of double agent. The deatheaters think that I am here to spy for them, but none of the information I give them is truthful. Of course, there are certain members of the dark lord's circle that I have to sneak around. I won't name names, but there are a few on the board of directors for the school that must be pacified." At this point Severus looked up to Jess' eyes with something more in his own. He seemed to be searching her for something. Was it forgiveness? Acceptance.
Whatever it was the look of pure compassion in her eyes was enough to satisfy him. Slowly, as if afraid that she would anger him, she placed one hand on the left sleeve of his robe. She glanced up at him before she went on, but he seemed to know what she was about to do and he seemed to be all right with it. Gently she slid the sleeve up to the elbow and found just what she had expected. There, burned into the skin in an ugly black brand, was the dark mark.
"I'll understand if you can't accept it." Jess looked up to him then, her brows furrowed not in confusion or frustration, but in pity, and she cast on him every warm and loving feeling she had in herself. She placed one hand atop the mark, covering it completely, and then guided his hand to her face, where he gripped her tightly but gently, underneath her jaw. Then she leaned in, her eyes closing as their lips touched for the first time.
When they broke apart she opened her eyes and looked straight into his, her breath somewhat labored and her voice the slightest bit shaky.
"What's your question for me, then?"
"What gave you the impression that I didn't like kisses," Snape asked as he pulled her back toward him.