Severus was quite annoyed with the sudden knock at the door. He was
sitting at the kitchen table sipping his tea, lost in his thoughts. He
rolled his eyes and used his best most convincing voice to the intruder.
"I'm busy tonight, call on me tomorrow."
He sat back and listened for their footsteps to retreat. "This is not acceptable," he heard in the muffled voice of a young girl.
Suddenly the door burst open and in walked two identical black haired girls with angelic faces and beetle-black eyes. They walked directly in front of him and stared curiously.
He was completely at a loss for words. The two angelic creatures looked so much like Violet it took his breath away. But there was something else in them, something that they did not share with his daughter.
Finally, senses returning, he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who are you and why are you here in my chambers?" He couldn't get over how much they looked like Violet.
The twin that stood nearest the table sat down across from his chair and motioned for her sister to sit as well. "I will be frank," she said in a voice that was strikingly familiar in spite of the Russian accent. "My name is Nataliya and this is my sister Liliya. My mother is Amy Mai and you are our sire."
Snape fell back into his chair. For some reason, he expected a revelation from these girls, but not that one. "I couldn't have fathered you," he said quickly. "She and I only..." he felt a sense of knowing dawn on him even as the words of protest left his mouth. "She didn't tell me she was pregnant."
"She did not have the time," Nataliya explained without emotion. "You cast her out and even if she did intend on telling you, you said you did not care to know. Victor took her in and raised us as his. In all respects he is our father, however seeing as they are no longer with us, we felt you should know that we are...in existence." She finished the sentence by placing her hands flat on the table. It was a gesture mirrored from Amy when she was trying to be non-threatening but make her point final.
Severus stared at the girls in wonder for several minutes before daring to use his voice. "She...your mother that is, she is dead?"
"She is no longer with us, no longer in this realm. And she took Victor with her."
Severus didn't notice how Nataliya avoided answering the question about death. "Ah, he got what he always wanted, then?"
Nataliya smiled at him a little, her black eyes sparkling. "He did. He was always hopelessly in love with her. I think only recently she accepted that you were lost to her and she was able to...move on."
"How was it that she was able to let me go," he asked carefully, still in a state of shock.
"Alex told her that you had died. She said that mother had cursed you with a disease and you were long since dead."
Severus hung his head, "She thought me dead," he repeated to himself. "I suppose that was for the better." He looked up at the girls again. "And you met Alex? You know her?"
"They took her with them as well," Liliya answered. This was the first time she had spoken so Severus stared at her for a long moment before reacting.
"Just as Victor had promised," he said with a grim smile. "And where do you two fit in?"
"I don't understand your meaning," Nataliya said with a small frown.
"What is it you want from me? I am far from capable of being a father..." he trailed off.
Nataliya gave a harsh laugh, "We hardly need to be coddled." She stopped and looked at him for a long moment. She turned to her sister and they shared a silent moment, both of them knowing what the other was thinking. Finally Nataliya placed her hand on Severus' and shook her head. "Victor did not lie," she stated very softly. "You have held your disease in check for a long time. It is slowly killing you from the inside out, I can feel it. Why is it that you are holding on when it hurts so?"
Severus was completely caught off guard. No one knew that, not even Violet, and he did not know what to say. "I...I do not know what keeps me here."
"You have waited for some solace," Liliya said quietly, taking his other hand. "You have waited for some sign that mother has moved on, that she had forgotten the hurt and lived her life as she should have."
"Well she never did, you know," Nataliya cut in, sounding a little bitter. "Mother was always hopeless, watching out the window as if you would be coming up the walk way any moment. Father loved her anyway, loved her as no other would. She raised us, keeping you a secret, but we always knew we didn't truly belong to Victor. If only Violet had existed from mother's old world, we would not have come here, but as you are our father, we felt you should know we existed."
"She waited for me," he asked in a broken voice.
Nataliya glared at him, "You knew she would. You knew her better than any other being on this planet. If you thought we were here to give you peace of mind so you can die with a clear conscious, you are wrong. We are here to learn what we can and move on."
Severus let out a shaking breath and nodded. "I can accept that."
"You have no other choice," Nataliya said angrily. This was the first time that the young Daywalker was allowing herself to show emotion and it was starting to take over. She took a deep breath, "I can't seem to remain calm. I must sleep and we will talk in the morning."
Severus pointed a weary hand towards the hall. "Any room is yours for the taking. I usually occupy the farthest room on the left, but if you wish it, you may take it."
Nataliya looked at her sister and nodded. She retreated down the hall and moments later, locked herself away for the night.
Liliya offered Severus a weak smile and did not let go of his hand. "I'm here for love," she said gently. "I know you don't have long, but I'm here to love you as well."
a little note to my readers, I had to change the names to give the twins Russian names as they grew up in Russia. Sorry bout that.
He sat back and listened for their footsteps to retreat. "This is not acceptable," he heard in the muffled voice of a young girl.
Suddenly the door burst open and in walked two identical black haired girls with angelic faces and beetle-black eyes. They walked directly in front of him and stared curiously.
He was completely at a loss for words. The two angelic creatures looked so much like Violet it took his breath away. But there was something else in them, something that they did not share with his daughter.
Finally, senses returning, he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who are you and why are you here in my chambers?" He couldn't get over how much they looked like Violet.
The twin that stood nearest the table sat down across from his chair and motioned for her sister to sit as well. "I will be frank," she said in a voice that was strikingly familiar in spite of the Russian accent. "My name is Nataliya and this is my sister Liliya. My mother is Amy Mai and you are our sire."
Snape fell back into his chair. For some reason, he expected a revelation from these girls, but not that one. "I couldn't have fathered you," he said quickly. "She and I only..." he felt a sense of knowing dawn on him even as the words of protest left his mouth. "She didn't tell me she was pregnant."
"She did not have the time," Nataliya explained without emotion. "You cast her out and even if she did intend on telling you, you said you did not care to know. Victor took her in and raised us as his. In all respects he is our father, however seeing as they are no longer with us, we felt you should know that we are...in existence." She finished the sentence by placing her hands flat on the table. It was a gesture mirrored from Amy when she was trying to be non-threatening but make her point final.
Severus stared at the girls in wonder for several minutes before daring to use his voice. "She...your mother that is, she is dead?"
"She is no longer with us, no longer in this realm. And she took Victor with her."
Severus didn't notice how Nataliya avoided answering the question about death. "Ah, he got what he always wanted, then?"
Nataliya smiled at him a little, her black eyes sparkling. "He did. He was always hopelessly in love with her. I think only recently she accepted that you were lost to her and she was able to...move on."
"How was it that she was able to let me go," he asked carefully, still in a state of shock.
"Alex told her that you had died. She said that mother had cursed you with a disease and you were long since dead."
Severus hung his head, "She thought me dead," he repeated to himself. "I suppose that was for the better." He looked up at the girls again. "And you met Alex? You know her?"
"They took her with them as well," Liliya answered. This was the first time she had spoken so Severus stared at her for a long moment before reacting.
"Just as Victor had promised," he said with a grim smile. "And where do you two fit in?"
"I don't understand your meaning," Nataliya said with a small frown.
"What is it you want from me? I am far from capable of being a father..." he trailed off.
Nataliya gave a harsh laugh, "We hardly need to be coddled." She stopped and looked at him for a long moment. She turned to her sister and they shared a silent moment, both of them knowing what the other was thinking. Finally Nataliya placed her hand on Severus' and shook her head. "Victor did not lie," she stated very softly. "You have held your disease in check for a long time. It is slowly killing you from the inside out, I can feel it. Why is it that you are holding on when it hurts so?"
Severus was completely caught off guard. No one knew that, not even Violet, and he did not know what to say. "I...I do not know what keeps me here."
"You have waited for some solace," Liliya said quietly, taking his other hand. "You have waited for some sign that mother has moved on, that she had forgotten the hurt and lived her life as she should have."
"Well she never did, you know," Nataliya cut in, sounding a little bitter. "Mother was always hopeless, watching out the window as if you would be coming up the walk way any moment. Father loved her anyway, loved her as no other would. She raised us, keeping you a secret, but we always knew we didn't truly belong to Victor. If only Violet had existed from mother's old world, we would not have come here, but as you are our father, we felt you should know we existed."
"She waited for me," he asked in a broken voice.
Nataliya glared at him, "You knew she would. You knew her better than any other being on this planet. If you thought we were here to give you peace of mind so you can die with a clear conscious, you are wrong. We are here to learn what we can and move on."
Severus let out a shaking breath and nodded. "I can accept that."
"You have no other choice," Nataliya said angrily. This was the first time that the young Daywalker was allowing herself to show emotion and it was starting to take over. She took a deep breath, "I can't seem to remain calm. I must sleep and we will talk in the morning."
Severus pointed a weary hand towards the hall. "Any room is yours for the taking. I usually occupy the farthest room on the left, but if you wish it, you may take it."
Nataliya looked at her sister and nodded. She retreated down the hall and moments later, locked herself away for the night.
Liliya offered Severus a weak smile and did not let go of his hand. "I'm here for love," she said gently. "I know you don't have long, but I'm here to love you as well."
a little note to my readers, I had to change the names to give the twins Russian names as they grew up in Russia. Sorry bout that.