Disclaimer- Thanks to the 5 of you that reviewed me! Truth be told, this
is one of my favorite fan fics I've written. I don't give a damn how many
people review it!
"Sev, get up Sev!" Marina shoved the professor hard in the side.
"What is it Gaia?" Severus asked, rolling over groggily. His sleek black hair fell in tumbles down to his shoulders and his eyes shown glumly into her's.
"It's time to get up," she repeated, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Severus groaned and fell back down against the aqua pillow. He watched as she slid her feet into her bedroom slippers and walk over to his side of the bed. She started rolling him slowly, ever so slowly toward the other side where he was sure to fall onto the hard, dungeon floor.
"Wait."
"What?"
"You could help me wake up," he grinned at her, his eyes glinting. She grinned back and bent down to kiss him. The kiss deepened until she parted with a-
"Now get up my filthy little pervert," against his lips.
The summer was fast approaching. OWL's loomed in the not-so-distant (like a week) future. Severus was, how shall we put it, stressed. He didn't sleep, he hardly ate. He was edgy and oh-so-crack-head-like. Marina had never seen that side of him before. She didn't like this Severus but she did love him.
The two of them were sitting outside under a tree studying in the fleeting afternoon sun. Severus was running through his Charms notes for the gazillionth time and Marina was casually transforming the dandelions into butterflies. "Sev," she said in a low voice. He didn't answer her. "Sev," she repeated, a little more loudly. He still didn't look up at her. "SEVERUS!" she yelled in his ear, drawing the gaze of some of the other studiers. He looked up at her, a bit stunned.
"What?" he asked. "You don't have to yell you know. I'm right here." She sighed.
"I was just wondering if you were going to ever quit this mad study schedule and go somewhere with me."
"Ah Marina, I don't know how I'm going to learn all of this. OWL's are-"
"Right around the corner, I know. You've been saying that for months!"
"But these tests hold in the balance my dreams and future. If I fail- "
"Sev, people who start studying the hour before their exam fail. People who haven't listened to one ounce of their lessons fail. You, my dear, will not fail."
"But I have to get-"
"Believe me, I know. You'll do fine. Didn't you hear, the more you cram the worse you do. You've been studying forever so now you have to relax your mine. Let me relax your mind," she climbed nimbly into his lap and planted a kiss on his lips. "Does that relax you?"
"Mmhmm," was all he could force from his lips. She continued to kiss him till his eyes almost bugged out of his skull. They were only interrupted by James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter coming up.
"Well, well, well, this is a pretty picture," James said in a low voice. For the first time in Severus's life he didn't act impulsively. He simply looked idly up at the four-some.
"May I help you?" he asked coolly.
"Stop our up-chuck reflex," was Sirius's response.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I have no dominion over your bodily functions Black. Now would the four of you be off so I can, well, get back to what I was doing." They stood slightly dumbfounded for a couple of minutes before turning around and walking the other direction. "Well, that was liberating."
"Oh Mr. Snape!" Marina pulled his head toward hers. "Do you think that you could relax now?"
"I could be coaxed," he grinned. It was then, in that very moment, Severus Snape changed forever. His whole demeanor, the whole of his actions were changed. His life direction was altered. He became, well, human. Looking back he would never be able to pinpoint the exact turning point but it was then. He changed himself when he told Sirius Black to go and take his up-chuck reflex else where. It was when he finally started thinking for himself.
~A Few Years Later in Italy~
"Sev, where are we going?" Marina asked.
"Would you just wait Marina?" Severus asked in a slightly annoyed voice.
"No, I want to know where we are going!" she demanded, stopping in the middle of their ambulation. Severus groaned but she gave him that look that made him stop in his tracks. She looked incredibly beautiful. Her dark hair was twisted up behind her head. Her brown eyes were glinting in the fading sunlight. She was wearing a soft, flowing, green dress that she had bought at a small shop the day before. Severus looked dashing as well. He was all in a muggle suit with his hair falling ruggedly around his ears. His eyes were masked by a pair of small sunglasses. He was also looking particularly cute with a slightly angered look on his face.
"We're going to the Palace for dinner okay!"
"Oh Severus!" she gushed, throwing her bare arms around his neck. She kissed him and he kissed back.
"I wanted to make it a surprise."
"It is a surprise!" Marina exclaimed ardently. They continued, hand in hand down the road. They finally reached the beautiful hotel with all its lights gleaming through he windows. The sun was finally putting itself to rest and the moon was taking its post.
"May I help you?" a man asked at the desk before the restaurant in English.
"I have a reservation for Snape."
"Right this way sir. We will be right with you."
"It's lucky for you that they speak English," Marina whispered fervently. She suddenly felt like a child again. She felt like she was waiting for the Christmas present she had never received. Then, for some reason of which she was not quite sure, she thought back to the night that she came to Severus. She thought about the night when she went back in time to meet her destiny.
"You okay?" Severus asked hurriedly.
"Yes, why?"
"You just seem a bit distracted, that's all. Ah, look, they're waving us over." Severus lead her to a table on the veranda. The night was slightly balmy but pleasant all the same. They seated themselves and Severus ordered some wine.
"This is so nice Sev," Marina simpered, looking around at the tall pillars. The lights were blinking merrily in the moonlight. They sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say. It seemed to them that time stood still. It had been standing still for over 2 years. When they were together, they were numb to all the threats and all the lies that plagued the rest of the wizarding population in England.
"Here you are sir," a waiter said, pouring wine into glasses. Both Severus and Marina ordered their salads and sipped the amber liquid happily.
"It's so nice being away from everything. I thought I'd never get bloody Voldemort out of my head!" Marina exclaimed, setting her glass down reverently.
"Well, that was the general intent dearest," Severus gave her a roguish smile. Their food came so they ordered more. Then, it finally came time, after desert to get up and leave. Marina had noticed the Severus got progressively more nervous as the meal went on but thought nothing of it. Severus had been prone to agitation ever since she'd met him.
She was gathering up her things to leave when she suddenly felt a presence at her knee. She looked over and caught the gleam in Severus's eye. He was kneeling down in front of her. "Marina," he began, fishing around in his pocket for something.
"Yes Sev?"
"Do remember when I said I needed a nickname for you?"
"Yes." Marina had no idea where this was going.
"Well, dearest, I've found one: Gaia, it means earth. Do you know why I picked that name?"
"No."
"It's because you are my whole world. You make everything good for me. I love you more than this world. I love you infinitely and eternally. That is why," he paused and brought out a small box. He flicked it open revealing a tiny, diamond flower set in glittering gold. She gave a small gasp. "That is why I want to ask you a question. Marina, Gaia, life, will you marry me knowing that you are the light of my life?"
"Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" she fell into his arms and he only disentangled from her grasp to slip the ring onto her finger. She examined it slightly before turning back to the giver. "Severus Snape, you are the most wonderful person in the entire earth!"
"I'm nothing next to you," he thought silently....
"Sev, get up Sev!" Marina shoved the professor hard in the side.
"What is it Gaia?" Severus asked, rolling over groggily. His sleek black hair fell in tumbles down to his shoulders and his eyes shown glumly into her's.
"It's time to get up," she repeated, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Severus groaned and fell back down against the aqua pillow. He watched as she slid her feet into her bedroom slippers and walk over to his side of the bed. She started rolling him slowly, ever so slowly toward the other side where he was sure to fall onto the hard, dungeon floor.
"Wait."
"What?"
"You could help me wake up," he grinned at her, his eyes glinting. She grinned back and bent down to kiss him. The kiss deepened until she parted with a-
"Now get up my filthy little pervert," against his lips.
The summer was fast approaching. OWL's loomed in the not-so-distant (like a week) future. Severus was, how shall we put it, stressed. He didn't sleep, he hardly ate. He was edgy and oh-so-crack-head-like. Marina had never seen that side of him before. She didn't like this Severus but she did love him.
The two of them were sitting outside under a tree studying in the fleeting afternoon sun. Severus was running through his Charms notes for the gazillionth time and Marina was casually transforming the dandelions into butterflies. "Sev," she said in a low voice. He didn't answer her. "Sev," she repeated, a little more loudly. He still didn't look up at her. "SEVERUS!" she yelled in his ear, drawing the gaze of some of the other studiers. He looked up at her, a bit stunned.
"What?" he asked. "You don't have to yell you know. I'm right here." She sighed.
"I was just wondering if you were going to ever quit this mad study schedule and go somewhere with me."
"Ah Marina, I don't know how I'm going to learn all of this. OWL's are-"
"Right around the corner, I know. You've been saying that for months!"
"But these tests hold in the balance my dreams and future. If I fail- "
"Sev, people who start studying the hour before their exam fail. People who haven't listened to one ounce of their lessons fail. You, my dear, will not fail."
"But I have to get-"
"Believe me, I know. You'll do fine. Didn't you hear, the more you cram the worse you do. You've been studying forever so now you have to relax your mine. Let me relax your mind," she climbed nimbly into his lap and planted a kiss on his lips. "Does that relax you?"
"Mmhmm," was all he could force from his lips. She continued to kiss him till his eyes almost bugged out of his skull. They were only interrupted by James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter coming up.
"Well, well, well, this is a pretty picture," James said in a low voice. For the first time in Severus's life he didn't act impulsively. He simply looked idly up at the four-some.
"May I help you?" he asked coolly.
"Stop our up-chuck reflex," was Sirius's response.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I have no dominion over your bodily functions Black. Now would the four of you be off so I can, well, get back to what I was doing." They stood slightly dumbfounded for a couple of minutes before turning around and walking the other direction. "Well, that was liberating."
"Oh Mr. Snape!" Marina pulled his head toward hers. "Do you think that you could relax now?"
"I could be coaxed," he grinned. It was then, in that very moment, Severus Snape changed forever. His whole demeanor, the whole of his actions were changed. His life direction was altered. He became, well, human. Looking back he would never be able to pinpoint the exact turning point but it was then. He changed himself when he told Sirius Black to go and take his up-chuck reflex else where. It was when he finally started thinking for himself.
~A Few Years Later in Italy~
"Sev, where are we going?" Marina asked.
"Would you just wait Marina?" Severus asked in a slightly annoyed voice.
"No, I want to know where we are going!" she demanded, stopping in the middle of their ambulation. Severus groaned but she gave him that look that made him stop in his tracks. She looked incredibly beautiful. Her dark hair was twisted up behind her head. Her brown eyes were glinting in the fading sunlight. She was wearing a soft, flowing, green dress that she had bought at a small shop the day before. Severus looked dashing as well. He was all in a muggle suit with his hair falling ruggedly around his ears. His eyes were masked by a pair of small sunglasses. He was also looking particularly cute with a slightly angered look on his face.
"We're going to the Palace for dinner okay!"
"Oh Severus!" she gushed, throwing her bare arms around his neck. She kissed him and he kissed back.
"I wanted to make it a surprise."
"It is a surprise!" Marina exclaimed ardently. They continued, hand in hand down the road. They finally reached the beautiful hotel with all its lights gleaming through he windows. The sun was finally putting itself to rest and the moon was taking its post.
"May I help you?" a man asked at the desk before the restaurant in English.
"I have a reservation for Snape."
"Right this way sir. We will be right with you."
"It's lucky for you that they speak English," Marina whispered fervently. She suddenly felt like a child again. She felt like she was waiting for the Christmas present she had never received. Then, for some reason of which she was not quite sure, she thought back to the night that she came to Severus. She thought about the night when she went back in time to meet her destiny.
"You okay?" Severus asked hurriedly.
"Yes, why?"
"You just seem a bit distracted, that's all. Ah, look, they're waving us over." Severus lead her to a table on the veranda. The night was slightly balmy but pleasant all the same. They seated themselves and Severus ordered some wine.
"This is so nice Sev," Marina simpered, looking around at the tall pillars. The lights were blinking merrily in the moonlight. They sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say. It seemed to them that time stood still. It had been standing still for over 2 years. When they were together, they were numb to all the threats and all the lies that plagued the rest of the wizarding population in England.
"Here you are sir," a waiter said, pouring wine into glasses. Both Severus and Marina ordered their salads and sipped the amber liquid happily.
"It's so nice being away from everything. I thought I'd never get bloody Voldemort out of my head!" Marina exclaimed, setting her glass down reverently.
"Well, that was the general intent dearest," Severus gave her a roguish smile. Their food came so they ordered more. Then, it finally came time, after desert to get up and leave. Marina had noticed the Severus got progressively more nervous as the meal went on but thought nothing of it. Severus had been prone to agitation ever since she'd met him.
She was gathering up her things to leave when she suddenly felt a presence at her knee. She looked over and caught the gleam in Severus's eye. He was kneeling down in front of her. "Marina," he began, fishing around in his pocket for something.
"Yes Sev?"
"Do remember when I said I needed a nickname for you?"
"Yes." Marina had no idea where this was going.
"Well, dearest, I've found one: Gaia, it means earth. Do you know why I picked that name?"
"No."
"It's because you are my whole world. You make everything good for me. I love you more than this world. I love you infinitely and eternally. That is why," he paused and brought out a small box. He flicked it open revealing a tiny, diamond flower set in glittering gold. She gave a small gasp. "That is why I want to ask you a question. Marina, Gaia, life, will you marry me knowing that you are the light of my life?"
"Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" she fell into his arms and he only disentangled from her grasp to slip the ring onto her finger. She examined it slightly before turning back to the giver. "Severus Snape, you are the most wonderful person in the entire earth!"
"I'm nothing next to you," he thought silently....