** Disclaimer, JKR is the big cheese, we bow down to her superiority she is
the multi-millionaire I am the poor student I have 0 food so I can't be
making money from this so please don't sue me***
Chapter IV As Theda woke up the next morning her pillow felt oddly prickly, and then she remembered just why she had a woolly jumper in her bed, throwing to one side she rubbed her eyes and went to her washstand, and brushed her hair as she did so the brush caught in a tangle and the bruises on her wrist made themselves felt. She put down the hairbrush and pulled up her sleeve. The red marks from the night before had turned purple. As Theda rubbed them she thought about what had happened and her forehead tingled where he had kissed her. She picked up the jumper and put it in her office, intending to give it back after the lesson that afternoon. Now they were well into the second week and work was due from the classes. The fifth years she had before lunch seemed to have forgotten the concept of deadlines over the holidays and grumbled when they were informed that most of them had lunchtime detentions. Fifth years didn't have the luxury of free blocks and so considered their lunch break sacrosanct. The seventh years didn't have quite such a problem with deadlines; and so nearly all of the class handed in their parchments on time. Just one name was on the detention board: Severus Snape-4pm. Black smirked at Severus from the opposite end of the front bench. Severus glared back; he was not pleased to be shown up like this so at the end of the lesson he stayed behind to make such thoughts clear. He approached Professor Vespertin who was sorting through the work on her desk and positioned himself, arms crossed, behind her as she piled up some books to take back into her office. He spoke to the back of her head. 'Professor, I was going to do that work last night after the Quidditch trial, but, well, you know what happened.' He crossed his arms , feeling awkward mentioning such things aloud. Theda turned around and looked at him mock-sternly. 'You should have thought about that at the time.' A self righteous expression crept onto his face and he opened his mouth to complain. 'But-' Theda put down her books. 'No excuses, as a prefect you should be setting an example to your classmates.' She tapped his badge teasingly. 'You're a cruel woman, Professor,' he said., but uncrossed his arms. 'Yup, she said. Now, shoo! And don't come back till four -- through the proper door, please.' He pulled his bag onto his shoulder and prowled out of the room. She watched him walk out and wondered why she could be so confident with him now, when last time they'd met she'd been so nervous. Maybe it was because she had a nominal authority over him, or maybe it was because of what had happened last night. She rubbed her forehead again. Then she remembered the jumper. She was supposed to have given it back. Oh well, she thought, I' ll give it to him later. She picked up her things again and retreated into her office, putting the books and scrolls on her desk with the fifth year work. She then went into her bedroom, brushed her hair and put on a little blush-proof foundation, and some lipstick. She went back into her office, sat down and started to read a fifth year's essay, every once in a while stopping to dip her quill in the inkpot and write comments on it in her scratchy handwriting.
*** Fifteen minutes later Severus looked at his watch. Three minutes to four. He had run up from the prefects bathroom with his half finished essay and a quill tucked into his robes, his hair was freshly washed and it still felt damp as he ran his hands through it and looked at his watch again. He knocked. 'Enter,' came the voice from within. He did so and looked at Prof. Vespertin sitting in her chair, her feet not quite touching the ground. She glanced up as he came and his heart did a double beat. That under-the-lashes look was damned sexy; he wasn't sure if she meant to do it as she didn't look him in face, but he wasn't complaining. She was a cherub crossed with a vampire, precious and dangerous. 'Sit down.' He did so and got out his parchment and quill and started writing, with his chin resting on his arm, which was draped across the parchment. Theda stopped writing comments and watched him. 'Should you be wearing glasses?' she asked. 'No,' he replied automatically without looking up. 'I think you should get your eyes tested,' she insisted. Without acknowledging her remonstrations he felt the pockets of his robes, and produced a pair of oval wire rimmed specs, which he put on reluctantly. Theda was pleasantly surprised by their tastfulness. 'Very smart. Now, why don't you wear them more often?' 'And make myself even more of a target? No thanks.' He grimaced at the thought. 'I think they look nice,' said Theda truthfully. They lent him an intellectual air, at odds with his wild hair and brooding eyes. 'Yes, but you're biased, Professor. You seem to like me. No-one else does.' He went back to his work embarrassed for stating such a personal thing so bluntly. They worked in silence, only the 'skreek' of quills and the clink of nibs in inkwells. Eventually Severus finished his essay and wrote his name at the top of the page. 'Can I go now, Professor?' he said, taking off his glasses and putting them in a pocket deep in his robes. Not that he particularly wanted to leave , but he had to show proper form. 'No, you'll stay here until the hour's up. You can read a book if you want.' She waved at the bookshelves and then went back to her work. Severus got up and looked at the shelves. Finding a book on vampires, he pulled it out and looked at the title page. Written on it in a spiky hand under some writing he couldn't read was Theodosia Vespertin. The T, he thought, it stands for Theodosia, and at that moment it was the most beautiful name in the world. Theda looked up to see what he was doing and recognised the book. 'You'll need a Transparlation Glass for that,' she said, and looked through her drawers for one. It was under the jumper and she pulled them both out and put them on her desk. 'The charm is transparlate germannica anglicum.' He took the sheet of enchanted glass and started reading, holding the book right up to eyes. 'Glasses, Severus,' Theda reminded him. He pulled them out of his pocket as he sat down again, still reading. Theda finished the essay she had been marking and looked at her watch, wondering if it was too early for tea. She decided it wasn't and went into her kitchen corner put the kettle on and raid the biscuit tin. Taking advantage of her absence Severus stopped reading and looked around the office over his glasses. Alongside the books and the jars, he noticed a tank full of ammonites rising and falling mournfully in the murky water, a piece of parchment stuck to their tank detailed feeding times. He put the book down and walked over to take a closer look just as Theda came back in to see if he wanted a cup of tea. 'Milk, no sugar, Professor,' he replied absorbed in the molluscs. Theda filled the mugs on the desk and put down a plate of biscuits. Severus sat back down and picked up a custard cream. Theda sipped her tea and watched him over the rim of her mug, eating more biscuits as if he hadn't eaten in a week. He was still looking at the ammonites. 'It is nice to see a man with a good appetite,' she said, smiling, thinking of other appetites. Their little tea party was ended by a sharp knock at the door. Theda frowned and muttered 'that's my private door.' She marched out of the room with her eyebrows knitted together. Severus picked up the vampire book and carried on reading. Pricking up his ears he heard Theda answer the door impatiently and then heard Prof. Latymer's voice speaking honeyed words. His heart contracted and he felt suddenly sick. What if she should be enjoying those words Latymer was speaking? Surely she preferred him? Had he misread her? But of course she saw him in the staff-room, how was he to know how friendly they were? Then Professor Vespertin raised her voice sharply: 'No, Monti, I don't want to go for a drink. I've got a detention and I'm up to my ears in marking.' The nausea lifted instantly, Severus sat up, and took a deep breath to free the knots of jealousy that had formed in his chest. Then he took off his glasses, and listened harder. 'I do like a fiery lady,' said Latymer in an effort to redeem himself. 'Well, ask out a salamander then,' replied Prof.Vespertin tartly, and slammed the door. Severus nearly cracked smile at that abrupt reject. She stalked back into her office and Severus pretended he had been reading all the time. He looked up at a furious Professor Vespertin. No-- Theodosia, he thought. 'That was your Professor Latymer asking me silly questions about salamanders,' she muttered furiously. 'Ugh, the very thought.' He reminded Theda of a creepy boy at her school who had had a nervous tic. She looked at Severus and smiled unconsciously. Looking at him just then was like finding shelter in a dark forest full of wolves. She sat down and finished her cup of tea. 'Right, detention is officially over, but if you want you can stay and help me with the ammonites.' She raised her eyebrows non-committaly. 'It would be a pleasure, Professor.' He said in his smarmiest prefect's voice. 'Well, you'll have to get a lab coat, they can be messy. Then take the tank over to the workbench.' She waved her hand in the general direction. Theda took off her cloak and put on her lab coat over her dress. She chucked one at Severus, who was taking off his school robes and hanging them on the back of a chair. He caught the coat, put it on, and then picked up the tank as Theda pulled out drawers on the wall by the work bench until she found a handful of different sized syringes and some small vials. She put the vials down in the bench and watched Severus put the tank down, looked at the ammonites and then pick up one of vials and look at it closely. It said: Extract of Horn of Jupiter. 'This is used in invisibility potions, isn't it?' he asked. 'Amongst other things, yes. It's what the swirly pattern on invisibility cloaks is supposed to represent.' Theda slid a piece of glass into the tank to separate the ammonites, then plunged her hand into the tank and pulled out a large reddish one. 'Now, you have to push the syringe past the soft body parts and into the liquid in the flotation chamber.' Wielding a syringe on her other hand she demonstrated the extraction technique. 'You'll have to be really careful. If your pierce their flesh or their shell, they'll probably die.' 'Fair enough.' Theda put the mollusc back into the other half of the tank and emptied the syringe into one of the vials. She put her hand into the tank and picked another unlucky mollusc. She watched Severus plunge his needle into an ammonite. His hands were very handsome, she thought, white and elegant with long fingers like a pianist. Theda had read a Muggle music magazine and had been impressed by the hands of the pianists featured within. He had forgotten his glasses again and was holding the shellfish very close to his eyes. Theda put her ammonite back in the tank, picked up his glasses from her desk and put them on him. He looked at her askance through the lenses by way of thanks and then carried on his work. Theda suddenly found a blush rising to her cheeks and thanking her foresight that she had put on the foundation. Turning away Theda concentrated on the extracting until she reached for the last one just as Severus had the same idea, and they both caught the ammonite simultaneously. 'Ladies first,' said Severus. Theda glanced down at the shellfish trapped between their fingers waving its tentacles in a futile effort to escape their collective grasp. 'A gentleman must do his duty,' said Theda, letting go of the ammonite and flicking the water on her hand in his face. 'Ugh, it's salty!' He dropped the ammonite back into the tank and sprayed Theda with the water on his hand. 'Hey!' She put her hand in the tank and threw a handful of water at him. Still dripping, Severus moved round to the desk, picked up his empty mug, and dipped it in the tank. Theda backed away as he held it forward threateningly, but misjudged and ended up nearly tripping over the shelf steps. Severus put his arm put out and trapped her in the corner. Keeping eye contact he moved the mug deliberately closer to Theda and as she tried vainly to back away she ended up ascending the steps. Severus broke open the poppers on her labcoat slowly and deliberately and allowed his finger to brush her throat as he did so. That touch made her throat tingle and her chest tightened. Then, still looking Theda in the eye he tipped the water down her dress. She tried to push him away but he caught her hands and slammed her into the bookcase. This sudden energy made Theda tingle and she looked him in the face. He licked his lips in anticipation, and put his hand under Theda's chin, pulling her face closer to his. Theda closed her eyes and felt his lips pressing hard on hers. She put her arms around him and pulled herself into his chest. He reciprocated by slipping his tongue into her mouth and putting a hand on her breast. Even through the lab coat Theda found this intensely erotic, and ran her hands through his damp hair. He kissed her a little harder, and his glasses frames stabbed her in the cheek, making Theda pull away. Severus reached out and rubbed the mark on her cheek. She sighed deeply and leant back into the bookcase, her legs suddenly felt very wobbly now she wasn't being held up. 'Are you alright, Professor?' he asked with a slight frown, he wondered if he'd somehow done something wrong. Professor! Theda thought, and clapped a hand to her mouth, realising what she had done. 'I really shouldn't have done that. Don't tell anyone, please!' 'I wasn't intending on broadcasting it,' Severus replied. 'You'd better go, I've caused enough trouble tonight,' she said, snapping the poppers on her lab coat shut. 'But-' 'No, I could lose my job, and get expelled from medical school; it would be a complete disaster.' Severus unbuttoned his lab coat, threw it across the workbench, and put on his robes. Theda watched him leave, her arms crossed tightly. He had her book under his arm and his glasses were reflecting in the light from the lamps in the corridor. 'Severus! she called. Your glasses!' He froze in the doorway and whipped them off his face, slammed the door, and stalked off down the corridor, kicking the steps. Just when he seemed to have found a woman who seemed to understand him, a woman who fascinated and really attracted him, a woman for whom he was willing to wash his hair twice a day for and who had the most eminently tactile breasts he had ever seen(or felt), he was going to lose her, to her damned conscience. He kicked at a particularly shabby statue, and it collapsed into a pile of rubble.
*** Theda slumped down at her desk. What had she been thinking? She hadn't needed help with the ammonites, they were hardly savage creatures. She thought it over and remembered Monti Latymer. That was it, she thought. She had been angry at him and that had made her keep Severus later and then, she groaned, it wasn't as though she didn't like Severus, but the consequences of their action had the potential to be so dire they didn't bear thinking about. But it wasn't just a reaction to Latymer, she had wanted Severus to stay behind, she had wanted to spend time alone with him, with someone who understood what it was like to be the odd one, someone with whom she connected. Connected. Her mind turned to the kiss, the kiss and how damn good it was, but not just his lips. He wanted her with his whole body, in a way that only a husband should. She had felt, when she had pressed against him, a desire as strong as her own, frankly she thought should he take it upon himself to ravish her she would positively relish it. Not that it was considered strictly proper to do such things even in such times as those, and anyway there were more things at stake than just her job. Theda sighed and then noticed that Severus had left his jumper behind. She picked it up and put it back in the drawer. Author's Note Thank you to Devon_Severus Aieshya and Sheena who have beta'd, to RF and Elizabeth who have reviewed and to Mel and Veil_25 who have pestered.
Chapter IV As Theda woke up the next morning her pillow felt oddly prickly, and then she remembered just why she had a woolly jumper in her bed, throwing to one side she rubbed her eyes and went to her washstand, and brushed her hair as she did so the brush caught in a tangle and the bruises on her wrist made themselves felt. She put down the hairbrush and pulled up her sleeve. The red marks from the night before had turned purple. As Theda rubbed them she thought about what had happened and her forehead tingled where he had kissed her. She picked up the jumper and put it in her office, intending to give it back after the lesson that afternoon. Now they were well into the second week and work was due from the classes. The fifth years she had before lunch seemed to have forgotten the concept of deadlines over the holidays and grumbled when they were informed that most of them had lunchtime detentions. Fifth years didn't have the luxury of free blocks and so considered their lunch break sacrosanct. The seventh years didn't have quite such a problem with deadlines; and so nearly all of the class handed in their parchments on time. Just one name was on the detention board: Severus Snape-4pm. Black smirked at Severus from the opposite end of the front bench. Severus glared back; he was not pleased to be shown up like this so at the end of the lesson he stayed behind to make such thoughts clear. He approached Professor Vespertin who was sorting through the work on her desk and positioned himself, arms crossed, behind her as she piled up some books to take back into her office. He spoke to the back of her head. 'Professor, I was going to do that work last night after the Quidditch trial, but, well, you know what happened.' He crossed his arms , feeling awkward mentioning such things aloud. Theda turned around and looked at him mock-sternly. 'You should have thought about that at the time.' A self righteous expression crept onto his face and he opened his mouth to complain. 'But-' Theda put down her books. 'No excuses, as a prefect you should be setting an example to your classmates.' She tapped his badge teasingly. 'You're a cruel woman, Professor,' he said., but uncrossed his arms. 'Yup, she said. Now, shoo! And don't come back till four -- through the proper door, please.' He pulled his bag onto his shoulder and prowled out of the room. She watched him walk out and wondered why she could be so confident with him now, when last time they'd met she'd been so nervous. Maybe it was because she had a nominal authority over him, or maybe it was because of what had happened last night. She rubbed her forehead again. Then she remembered the jumper. She was supposed to have given it back. Oh well, she thought, I' ll give it to him later. She picked up her things again and retreated into her office, putting the books and scrolls on her desk with the fifth year work. She then went into her bedroom, brushed her hair and put on a little blush-proof foundation, and some lipstick. She went back into her office, sat down and started to read a fifth year's essay, every once in a while stopping to dip her quill in the inkpot and write comments on it in her scratchy handwriting.
*** Fifteen minutes later Severus looked at his watch. Three minutes to four. He had run up from the prefects bathroom with his half finished essay and a quill tucked into his robes, his hair was freshly washed and it still felt damp as he ran his hands through it and looked at his watch again. He knocked. 'Enter,' came the voice from within. He did so and looked at Prof. Vespertin sitting in her chair, her feet not quite touching the ground. She glanced up as he came and his heart did a double beat. That under-the-lashes look was damned sexy; he wasn't sure if she meant to do it as she didn't look him in face, but he wasn't complaining. She was a cherub crossed with a vampire, precious and dangerous. 'Sit down.' He did so and got out his parchment and quill and started writing, with his chin resting on his arm, which was draped across the parchment. Theda stopped writing comments and watched him. 'Should you be wearing glasses?' she asked. 'No,' he replied automatically without looking up. 'I think you should get your eyes tested,' she insisted. Without acknowledging her remonstrations he felt the pockets of his robes, and produced a pair of oval wire rimmed specs, which he put on reluctantly. Theda was pleasantly surprised by their tastfulness. 'Very smart. Now, why don't you wear them more often?' 'And make myself even more of a target? No thanks.' He grimaced at the thought. 'I think they look nice,' said Theda truthfully. They lent him an intellectual air, at odds with his wild hair and brooding eyes. 'Yes, but you're biased, Professor. You seem to like me. No-one else does.' He went back to his work embarrassed for stating such a personal thing so bluntly. They worked in silence, only the 'skreek' of quills and the clink of nibs in inkwells. Eventually Severus finished his essay and wrote his name at the top of the page. 'Can I go now, Professor?' he said, taking off his glasses and putting them in a pocket deep in his robes. Not that he particularly wanted to leave , but he had to show proper form. 'No, you'll stay here until the hour's up. You can read a book if you want.' She waved at the bookshelves and then went back to her work. Severus got up and looked at the shelves. Finding a book on vampires, he pulled it out and looked at the title page. Written on it in a spiky hand under some writing he couldn't read was Theodosia Vespertin. The T, he thought, it stands for Theodosia, and at that moment it was the most beautiful name in the world. Theda looked up to see what he was doing and recognised the book. 'You'll need a Transparlation Glass for that,' she said, and looked through her drawers for one. It was under the jumper and she pulled them both out and put them on her desk. 'The charm is transparlate germannica anglicum.' He took the sheet of enchanted glass and started reading, holding the book right up to eyes. 'Glasses, Severus,' Theda reminded him. He pulled them out of his pocket as he sat down again, still reading. Theda finished the essay she had been marking and looked at her watch, wondering if it was too early for tea. She decided it wasn't and went into her kitchen corner put the kettle on and raid the biscuit tin. Taking advantage of her absence Severus stopped reading and looked around the office over his glasses. Alongside the books and the jars, he noticed a tank full of ammonites rising and falling mournfully in the murky water, a piece of parchment stuck to their tank detailed feeding times. He put the book down and walked over to take a closer look just as Theda came back in to see if he wanted a cup of tea. 'Milk, no sugar, Professor,' he replied absorbed in the molluscs. Theda filled the mugs on the desk and put down a plate of biscuits. Severus sat back down and picked up a custard cream. Theda sipped her tea and watched him over the rim of her mug, eating more biscuits as if he hadn't eaten in a week. He was still looking at the ammonites. 'It is nice to see a man with a good appetite,' she said, smiling, thinking of other appetites. Their little tea party was ended by a sharp knock at the door. Theda frowned and muttered 'that's my private door.' She marched out of the room with her eyebrows knitted together. Severus picked up the vampire book and carried on reading. Pricking up his ears he heard Theda answer the door impatiently and then heard Prof. Latymer's voice speaking honeyed words. His heart contracted and he felt suddenly sick. What if she should be enjoying those words Latymer was speaking? Surely she preferred him? Had he misread her? But of course she saw him in the staff-room, how was he to know how friendly they were? Then Professor Vespertin raised her voice sharply: 'No, Monti, I don't want to go for a drink. I've got a detention and I'm up to my ears in marking.' The nausea lifted instantly, Severus sat up, and took a deep breath to free the knots of jealousy that had formed in his chest. Then he took off his glasses, and listened harder. 'I do like a fiery lady,' said Latymer in an effort to redeem himself. 'Well, ask out a salamander then,' replied Prof.Vespertin tartly, and slammed the door. Severus nearly cracked smile at that abrupt reject. She stalked back into her office and Severus pretended he had been reading all the time. He looked up at a furious Professor Vespertin. No-- Theodosia, he thought. 'That was your Professor Latymer asking me silly questions about salamanders,' she muttered furiously. 'Ugh, the very thought.' He reminded Theda of a creepy boy at her school who had had a nervous tic. She looked at Severus and smiled unconsciously. Looking at him just then was like finding shelter in a dark forest full of wolves. She sat down and finished her cup of tea. 'Right, detention is officially over, but if you want you can stay and help me with the ammonites.' She raised her eyebrows non-committaly. 'It would be a pleasure, Professor.' He said in his smarmiest prefect's voice. 'Well, you'll have to get a lab coat, they can be messy. Then take the tank over to the workbench.' She waved her hand in the general direction. Theda took off her cloak and put on her lab coat over her dress. She chucked one at Severus, who was taking off his school robes and hanging them on the back of a chair. He caught the coat, put it on, and then picked up the tank as Theda pulled out drawers on the wall by the work bench until she found a handful of different sized syringes and some small vials. She put the vials down in the bench and watched Severus put the tank down, looked at the ammonites and then pick up one of vials and look at it closely. It said: Extract of Horn of Jupiter. 'This is used in invisibility potions, isn't it?' he asked. 'Amongst other things, yes. It's what the swirly pattern on invisibility cloaks is supposed to represent.' Theda slid a piece of glass into the tank to separate the ammonites, then plunged her hand into the tank and pulled out a large reddish one. 'Now, you have to push the syringe past the soft body parts and into the liquid in the flotation chamber.' Wielding a syringe on her other hand she demonstrated the extraction technique. 'You'll have to be really careful. If your pierce their flesh or their shell, they'll probably die.' 'Fair enough.' Theda put the mollusc back into the other half of the tank and emptied the syringe into one of the vials. She put her hand into the tank and picked another unlucky mollusc. She watched Severus plunge his needle into an ammonite. His hands were very handsome, she thought, white and elegant with long fingers like a pianist. Theda had read a Muggle music magazine and had been impressed by the hands of the pianists featured within. He had forgotten his glasses again and was holding the shellfish very close to his eyes. Theda put her ammonite back in the tank, picked up his glasses from her desk and put them on him. He looked at her askance through the lenses by way of thanks and then carried on his work. Theda suddenly found a blush rising to her cheeks and thanking her foresight that she had put on the foundation. Turning away Theda concentrated on the extracting until she reached for the last one just as Severus had the same idea, and they both caught the ammonite simultaneously. 'Ladies first,' said Severus. Theda glanced down at the shellfish trapped between their fingers waving its tentacles in a futile effort to escape their collective grasp. 'A gentleman must do his duty,' said Theda, letting go of the ammonite and flicking the water on her hand in his face. 'Ugh, it's salty!' He dropped the ammonite back into the tank and sprayed Theda with the water on his hand. 'Hey!' She put her hand in the tank and threw a handful of water at him. Still dripping, Severus moved round to the desk, picked up his empty mug, and dipped it in the tank. Theda backed away as he held it forward threateningly, but misjudged and ended up nearly tripping over the shelf steps. Severus put his arm put out and trapped her in the corner. Keeping eye contact he moved the mug deliberately closer to Theda and as she tried vainly to back away she ended up ascending the steps. Severus broke open the poppers on her labcoat slowly and deliberately and allowed his finger to brush her throat as he did so. That touch made her throat tingle and her chest tightened. Then, still looking Theda in the eye he tipped the water down her dress. She tried to push him away but he caught her hands and slammed her into the bookcase. This sudden energy made Theda tingle and she looked him in the face. He licked his lips in anticipation, and put his hand under Theda's chin, pulling her face closer to his. Theda closed her eyes and felt his lips pressing hard on hers. She put her arms around him and pulled herself into his chest. He reciprocated by slipping his tongue into her mouth and putting a hand on her breast. Even through the lab coat Theda found this intensely erotic, and ran her hands through his damp hair. He kissed her a little harder, and his glasses frames stabbed her in the cheek, making Theda pull away. Severus reached out and rubbed the mark on her cheek. She sighed deeply and leant back into the bookcase, her legs suddenly felt very wobbly now she wasn't being held up. 'Are you alright, Professor?' he asked with a slight frown, he wondered if he'd somehow done something wrong. Professor! Theda thought, and clapped a hand to her mouth, realising what she had done. 'I really shouldn't have done that. Don't tell anyone, please!' 'I wasn't intending on broadcasting it,' Severus replied. 'You'd better go, I've caused enough trouble tonight,' she said, snapping the poppers on her lab coat shut. 'But-' 'No, I could lose my job, and get expelled from medical school; it would be a complete disaster.' Severus unbuttoned his lab coat, threw it across the workbench, and put on his robes. Theda watched him leave, her arms crossed tightly. He had her book under his arm and his glasses were reflecting in the light from the lamps in the corridor. 'Severus! she called. Your glasses!' He froze in the doorway and whipped them off his face, slammed the door, and stalked off down the corridor, kicking the steps. Just when he seemed to have found a woman who seemed to understand him, a woman who fascinated and really attracted him, a woman for whom he was willing to wash his hair twice a day for and who had the most eminently tactile breasts he had ever seen(or felt), he was going to lose her, to her damned conscience. He kicked at a particularly shabby statue, and it collapsed into a pile of rubble.
*** Theda slumped down at her desk. What had she been thinking? She hadn't needed help with the ammonites, they were hardly savage creatures. She thought it over and remembered Monti Latymer. That was it, she thought. She had been angry at him and that had made her keep Severus later and then, she groaned, it wasn't as though she didn't like Severus, but the consequences of their action had the potential to be so dire they didn't bear thinking about. But it wasn't just a reaction to Latymer, she had wanted Severus to stay behind, she had wanted to spend time alone with him, with someone who understood what it was like to be the odd one, someone with whom she connected. Connected. Her mind turned to the kiss, the kiss and how damn good it was, but not just his lips. He wanted her with his whole body, in a way that only a husband should. She had felt, when she had pressed against him, a desire as strong as her own, frankly she thought should he take it upon himself to ravish her she would positively relish it. Not that it was considered strictly proper to do such things even in such times as those, and anyway there were more things at stake than just her job. Theda sighed and then noticed that Severus had left his jumper behind. She picked it up and put it back in the drawer. Author's Note Thank you to Devon_Severus Aieshya and Sheena who have beta'd, to RF and Elizabeth who have reviewed and to Mel and Veil_25 who have pestered.