Chapter Nine: Ground Rules

Summary: Ninth chapter. Forty to go. That about sums it up.

The next morning Sirius awoke to a very painful back. As he looked around, it took him a minute to remember where he was and why. Getting awkwardly to his feet past the stiffness in his back, he listened carefully at Arabella's door. Convinced she was still in her room, he slowly trudged back to his own. The sun was already lighting the interior of the house, and things were undoubtedly going to look a good deal different in the light of a new day, he told himself miserably.

Back in his own room, Sirius changed into some clean clothes and headed down stairs. To his surprise, Arabella was seated at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, 'Bella." Sirius said in as normal sounding a voice as he could manage, but still trying his best to test the waters for what sort of mood she was in.

"Morning." Arabella mumbled over the rim of her coffee cup. Her voice was nearly expressionless, betraying nothing for Sirius to work with.

Sirius poured himself a cup of coffee and went and sat at the corner next to her at the table.

After a long uncomfortable silence Sirius turned his eyes to her. "Look, 'Bella, I'm sor...."

Arabella put her hand up quickly. "There's nothing for you to apologize for, Sirius." She stated a bit curtly. "I was there too." She paused as she rested her forehead against her hands, leaning her elbows on the table as she softened her voice a bit. "It was just...a lot to take in last night. It's hard enough to change what you believed in for fourteen years. What you've held onto so tightly for the sake of your sanity and for comfort. Even harder that late at night. I should have dealt with it better, I know. I should have had better control of things. I should never have let that happen. If anything, I'm ashamed of myself for not stopping it sooner."

"You didn't like it?"

To Sirius' surprise, Arabella gave him a slight smile. "Are you kidding?" She asked. "I have news for you. Fourteen years is a long time to go without any....." She paused for a long time. "...kissing."

Sirius looked both doubtful and amazed.

"Fourteen years?"

"Handsome young men aren't exactly lining up on an old lady's doorstep, Sirius."

Arabella watched a small smile appear on Sirius' lips, his eyes lighting up with an unspoken question.

"Heavens above." She smiled back. "Does your ego need that much stroking?"

Sirius continued to smile at her, the question remaining.

"No." Arabella finally confirmed for him. "There was never anyone else."

She expected him to make some sarcastically similar remark related to his own situation for the past fourteen years. But as she watched, his smile slowly faded and the light that had been shining in his eyes went out as though someone had extinguished a flame.

Arabella almost put in her own sarcastic remark to fill the space, but she suddenly bit it back. Of course! She was being so stupid. Sirius had spent twelve of the last fourteen years in the most notorious prison in the world. Where it's few human guards likely thought nothing of torturing or abusing their charges.

Arabella found the answer forming in her mind to her unasked question to horrible to even consider. She quickly turned her gaze back to her coffee cup.

"You sat at my door all night?" She finally asked instead , desperate to drop the previous subject.

But the inquiry was made in such a quiet voice Sirius couldn't tell if it had been a question or a statement.

"In case you needed anything." He answered just as quietly.

Arabella ventured a glance up at him and rewarded him with a small smile. "Thank you."

Sirius returned the smile with a bit more enthusiasm. "You're welcome. But you should have woken me."

"You just looked so...comfortable...sitting there."

"Of course. And I think in a year or two the pain in my back may actually allow me to walk again."

They sat for a while in silence again.

"So," Sirius broke the stalemate again, "you want to talk about it now?"

"There's really nothing to talk about, Sirius." Arabella replied. "We simply can't let that happen again."

"And again, you talking about it like it was a bad thing."

"Because it was! And I am ashamed I even let it go as far as it did. I should have had better control than that."

Sirius fixed an earnest stare on her. "Answer a question for me, 'Bella." He requested softly.

Arabella turned to meet his stare.

"Do you still love me?" He asked in a whisper. Deep down, Sirius had never been more afraid of an answer than he was to that one question.

Arabella looked utterly surprised by the question. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it just as quickly, dropping her gaze from his.

Sirius turned back to his cup of coffee. "I see." He replied solemnly.

Arabella looked up quickly. "No." She said abruptly. "It's not that."

Sirius turned back to her.

"It's just...Sirius...it's been fourteen years."

"I know how long it's been, Arabella. I was there."

Arabella turned back to her coffee. "We're not two teenagers in love anymore, Sirius. The world isn't that carefree place it used to be. The answers aren't all found by opening a book and looking on the right page."

Sirius paused, then nodded soberly. "All right, Arabella." He said quietly, turning back to the table. "I understand."

"Sirius," She said, prompting his attention back to her, "you want honesty?" She reached over and rested a hand on his arm. "I don't even know you. I know the teenager I used to love, with all my heart and all my soul. But I don't know if he's the same person as the man sitting next to me now."

Sirius closed his eyes as he turned from her. He knew the answer to that question all too well.

Arabella gently lifted his chin, turning his face back to her. "Last night you asked me to let you prove your love wasn't a lie. Now I am asking for you to let me learn that." She slowly let go of him as he sat staring at her, a small flicker of light shining out from behind his eyes again. "But," She added firmly, turning back to her coffee again as she dispelled the mood before it got too serious, "There have to be rules."

"Good." Sirius put in with a small smile, trying to join her in the change of the mood between them. "Rules are only for breaking."

"Not this time, Sirius." She warned. "And the first rule is that what happened last night doesn't happen again."

"Why?" Sirius demanded.

"Why?"

"Yes. I asked you again, what was so horrible about it, Arabella? We're adults..."

"With a fifteen year old boy living in this house!"

Sirius looked as though he honestly failed to see the point.

"Sirius! We can't be frolicking around like...like animals. Not with Harry living here."

"I'd hardly refer to last night as 'frolicking around like animals'."

"And you deny you weren't planning for that to go any further?"

"Planning?" Sirius questioned in disbelief. "You make it sound like I was lying in wait to ambush you."

Arabella paused, then shook her head. "No. Of course not. It just...happened. And just as well we can make sure it doesn't 'happen' again."

"So I'm suppose to prove my feelings from a distance?"

"If you're sincere, that shouldn't be a problem. If 'sex' is your only tool, you're battle is over before you've even begun."

"There's nothing at all wrong with a little public display of affection, 'Bella."

"Public display of affection?"

"I think it would serve Harry very well to see how men and women are suppose to act towards one another."

"Buy him a movie."

"'Bella." Sirius sighed. "Was it really that horrible for you?"

"Would you think for a moment exactly how you would care to explain things to you godson if he were to walk in on a most...compromising situation?"

"That is one of the many uses they made locks on doors for, 'Bella. And I am not talking porn movies here, by the way."

"Really? Then exactly what are you discussing showing our godson?"

Sirius raised himself out of his chair and slowly leaned towards Arabella until his lips gently touched her's. When she didn't pull back, Sirius deepened the kiss ever so slightly, then slowly pulled back and returned to his seat.

Arabella looked at him skeptically. "That's it?"

"That's all I'm intending for our godson to see, if that's what you mean. If you were making some reference to my skills having waned, I would be more then happy to meet you upstairs in your room and put any rumors to rest, so to speak."

"I can assure you I have no desire to meet you in my room, Sirius Black."

"My room?" He asked in mock hopefulness.

"I have no desire to 'meet' you anywhere."

"Excellent!" Sirius leapt out of his chair and had lifted Arabella to her feet before she could protest otherwise. "A woman who believes in seizing the moment. I like it."

Arabella gave a slight cry that dissolved into a giggle.

"You, wench, are going to be kissed by the infamous Sirius Black. Breaker of maidens hearts, nefarious ravager of virgin lips, notorious deliverer of kisses that make women swoon!" And with that he caught her mouth in a forceful kiss.

Despite being taken by surprise, Arabella still invitingly parted her lips for him, which Sirius eagerly accepted.

When he released her, Arabella calmly righted herself again and straightened her robes before she turned back to him.

"Right." She stated, checking her watch. "But how long do you think he'll be? I've got breakfast to prepare."

Later that morning Harry came downstairs to a sound he hadn't heard in the kitchen before pending his arrival there.

Laughter.

Poking his head around the corner he saw Sirius and Arabella sitting...or more, barely sitting at the table as they both fought to stay upright in their chairs.

"And do you remember," Arabella choked out, trying to stop laughing so she could talk, "do you remember when you father caught us in the back of....."

But she stopped suddenly when she caught sight of Harry now standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"...church." She amended quickly, righting herself in her chair. "In the back of church."

Sirius looked at her as though she had suddenly gone mad.

"Church?" He stated incredulously. "Where...?"

But Arabella kicked him hard under the table, nodding to the doorway.

Sirius bit back a cry of pain as he caught sight of his godson. " ...else...would we be...but in the back of church. Absolutely."

"Good morning, Dear." Arabella got up and greeted him with a kiss on the head. "What can I get you this morning?"

"Ummm....., I guess eggs will be fine." Harry said slowly, looking from one to the other."

"Is something wrong, Dear?" Arabella asked.

Harry sat down, taking the glass of orange juice she handed to him. "Umm...no. I guess not."

Sirius picked the morning paper up off the table and shook it out, still eyeing his godson.

"You sure everything is all right, Harry?" He asked.

Harry looked from one to the other again. "I just feel like I woke up in the wrong house." He said finally.

"Wrong house?"

"Well," Harry turned to his godmother, "since Sirius came to live here all you two seem to have done is figh...argue." He amended quickly. "In all that time I haven't heard either of you laughing, least of all in the same room."

Arabella's expression changed to one of concern as she glanced over at Sirius. "Oh dear." She said, her tone matching her expression. "Were we honestly that blatant about things?"

Harry stared up at her, but didn't answer.

Arabella came back over to the table and slowly sat down next to him. "Well, Harry," she began a bit uncomfortably, "you see, your godfather and I...we had some things that we needed to work out. And...." She looked quickly to Sirius, pleading for help.

"Arabella and I sat down last night and had a very long talk about things, Harry." Sirius put in quickly. "And we managed to sort out some of those 'things', that's all." He gave his godson a mischievous sort of smile. "Adults are like that sometimes."

"So you two aren't...arguing anymore?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Well, if you're asking if we'll ever...'argue' again, I can't promise we won't." Sirius replied as he briefly glanced at Arabella, who favored him with a small smile. "People living together sometimes argue, Harry. That just comes with the package. But know this. Above anything else...anything that may come between us, Arabella and I both love you very much. And that will never change. If you ever need us, we'll be there for you. Both of us."

"Now," Arabella said, getting up as she gently ruffled his hair, "would you like some ham with those eggs?"

Harry nodded with a happy smile. The summer suddenly looked a little bit brighter. For everyone.