Disclaimer: I wish JKR was one of my sisters, but since she isn't I must tell you that Sev and the lot belong to her. Genevieve is mine however.
So…to all who read and didn't review. How was the wine?
This chapter is for Shem and jkrazed. Jkrazed, you read my mind…
Travels with Severus; Severus does New Orleans
Book One
Chapter Five
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked. Severus Snape leaned casually against the frame of her front door and smiled. "I told you to stay away."
"If you knew me better, Miss De laVerne, you wouldn't be surprised by my presence here this afternoon. Were you sleeping?" he asked, noticing her nightgown and robe. Her eyes were heavy from her slumber and her right cheek was flushed from her pillow. He resisted the urge to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to her bed.
She allowed her eyes to roam up and down his form. "Black isn't a very good color choice for New Orleans in July, even if the material is linen." she said of his shirt and trousers. "You look hot."
He smirked, "Thank you."
She flushed bright red. "I meant you looked like you were feeling hot."
"Oh, I am Genevieve. I am," he replied with a velvet growl, causing her to duck her head and draw a breath.
"I meant that-oh fuck it-never mind. Come in before the neighbors see you," She stood aside and allowed him to enter. He brushed her, ever so slightly with his shoulder as he did so. She shivered and busied her self with locking the door. Turning, she saw that he had made himself comfortable on her sofa. "Make yourself at home then." she muttered at his reclining form.
"Thank you, I shall. Have you got any coffee?"
"No, actually. And, yes I was sleeping. I work nights. Remember?"
"Come, come. It's nearly three. Surely you have had enough sleep?"
Tired from her exertions the night before, Genevieve was in no mood for sarcasm in any form. "Look!" she snapped out "What are you doing here? I thought I explained myself quite clearly this morning."
He smiled at her tone. He knew she needed coffee, and needed it badly. "You did explain yourself very clearly this morning. I, however have no desire to leave town at present. After seeing what I saw last night in that alley, I have no intention of leaving until the matter of your stalker is resolved."
She opened her mouth to reply and found no words forthcoming. She snapped it shut again. Damn him and his presence here anyway! She needed coffee, but wasn't about to get up and make any. It would satisfy him entirely too much. "You are too kind, Mr. Snape in offering your help, but I really must decline. I work alone," she managed to say in a saccharine tone.
This elicited a chuckle from the wizard. "Now now, Mademoiselle. Where is the famous southern hospitality I've heard so much about? Go make coffee. You need it and so do I. You talked last night, now it's my turn."
With a frown she turned on her heel and strode into the kitchen. He smiled at the show of temper she was displaying by banging cabinet doors closed and slamming mugs onto the counter. This was followed by the sound of the coffee maker bubbling as it brewed. Finished with her preparations, she stomped out of the kitchen and made for what he assumed was her bedroom. She 'accidentally' stomped on one of his feet as she made her way past him, smiling at his muttered expletive.
Severus leaned his head back against the sofaback and let out an amused chuckle. Annoying people was an amusing past time for him, one he hadn't indulged in since leaving Hogwarts. She promised to be a fun one to annoy.
The smell of coffee broke his reverie and he rose and made for the kitchen he had made himself so at home in the night before to prepare a cup for Genevieve and himself. He brought the cups into the livingroom and made himself comfortable on the sofa.
After a few minutes, she entered the room, dressed in loose fitting cotton slacks and matching top in a flattering shade of light yellow. She accepted the cup from his proffered hand with a muttered "Thanks." With a grateful sigh, she sipped the hot liquid.
They sat in silence for a few moments, before Severus finally broke it by saying, "I want to help you with your vampire problem."
"I don't want you to help me with my problem, but thank you for the offer."
Severus let out an exasperated sigh, "Your problem has become my problem, Genevieve. If this vampire saw me with you last night, then it is reasonable to assume he will come after me as soon as he kills you."
"That's assuming he succeeds in killing me," she retorted.
"Quite, but I am willing to assume the worst."
"Your optimism is astounding!"
She was rewarded with a raised eyebrow and "Vampires are dark creatures, and I am sure you are aware of the fact that I have spent a great many years immersed in the dark arts. You on the other hand, are a jazz singer who happens to be a half blooded witch with a dangerous hobby."
"Hobby?" she bristled, "Might I remind you, Severus Snape, that I managed to disarm you last night, and hex you before you could say Boo!"
"Yes, and may I also point out that I managed to hex you in that alley."
"You snuck up on me," she countered smugly.
"Precisely why you need my help, Miss De laVergne."
She wanted to answer him back, but she could think of nothing to say to what was so obviously a good point. Instead she resorted to chewing on her lower lip and frowning. Severus repressed a grin of satisfaction and sipped his coffee.
After a moment she took another sip of her coffee, "Good coffee, by the way. Ever had sex in a cemetery?"
He choked on his coffee, spitting it out of his mouth. "W-what did you just ask me?"
She smiled benignly, "I asked you if-"
"I heard you." he interrupted, "I don't kiss and tell."
"I'm being serious."
"What are you thinking of getting up to?"
'Well, I think that we may be able to lure this stalker, as you call him, into a cemetery. I am proposing that we appear to be distracted. You know, guard down?" she answered.
"Then we attack."
"Exactly."
"And if the stalker fails to take the bait?"
"New Orleans is full of vampires, Severus. Odds are we bag one, even if it isn't my stalker."
"Why don't you just make it easy for him to kill you, Genevieve and walk around town wearing a sign inviting him to kill you?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.
"You're the one who's so insistent on helping me, Sev, so drop that tone. Have you got any better ideas?
"No," he answered reluctantly and got up to fetch more coffee.
"Well then there we are," she sighed. "Stalker will be suspicious if we just walk on into St. Louis Cemetery and start going at it for no reason, so for the sake of appearing normal I think you should take me to dinner and maybe some dancing afterward. You know some nice romantic music and close dancing. After a time we leave and go for a quiet stroll, start necking madly, you drag me into the cemetery etcetera etcetera."
"And hopefully this stalker will follow us in and attempt to seize the opportunity to dispatch us into the hereafter."
"That's about right."
He handed her her mug, now refilled, and sat down next to her. "You know, Genevieve, if you want to sleep with me all you need do is ask, although I am flattered that you would go to all of this effort just for the excuse to seduce me."
She answered his statement with an arched eyebrow and a sarcastic, "Please."
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
The restaurant had been suitably romantic. Their dinner had been delicious and Severus had enjoyed every bite of his meal, from the Turtle Soup to the Blackened Red Fish. It was the desert of Bananas Foster that had nearly proved his undoing, for he adored sweets and he allowed himself to say as much to his companion.
Genevieve was surprised by the pleasantness of his company, for he had been a gentleman all evening. She wasn't surprised to find him well read, he had been a Professor after all, but he wasn't what she had expected an ex-Death Eater to be. It was appreciation of the arts, especially music that pleased her. She was surprised at his knowledge of the Muggle world, for the prejudice toward PureBloods was a prevalent in America as it was in Great Britain. She said as much to him as they walked, hand in hand through Jackson Square. After a thoughtful pause he replied,
"My father thought the only thing good about Muggles was their art. Music drew me to Muggle London, and I eventually came to appreciate other aspects of that world. My father, when he found out about it deeply disapproved."
Genevieve had the feeling he was understating his father's reaction, but choose not to delve into the subject any further. Instead, she brought them around to the subject they had been avoiding all evening. "I suppose we should go somewhere to dance now. It's only nine o'clock, so we have plenty of time to kill."
He squeezed her hand and answered her with a slight nod, "Where to, then?"
"Why The Red Cat, of course." she answered and guided him to the door. He opened it for her and they entered arm in arm.
The dance floor was full, for it was Saturday night and Aaron Neville was performing. She calmly acknowledged the few greetings she received as she followed her partner to the dance floor.
She felt good in his arms, pressed up against him. Her perfume graced his nose with its light floral scent. Her hair was soft against his cheek and her hand soft in his. 'She looks stunning tonight,' he thought. When she opened the door to him this evening, she left him nearly breathless. She wore a black silk shift and high heeled matching sandals. The sheen and color of the material accenting the smooth, creamy skin of her arms and legs, which were bare. Her hair was piled on her head in loose ringlets. She was tempting and he once again resisted the urge to lock them in her bedroom for as long as they could stand it. Instead, he followed her into the apartment and accepted a drink. There were no pleasantries exchanged, rather she got straight to business and began to hand him the weapons necessary to the destruction of Vampires. As they rode to the restaurant in the taxi, he amused himself by trying to figure out where she had stashed her weapons beneath the dress that clung so subtly to her figure.
Now, here they were, dancing as though they were an ordinary couple enjoying a pleasant evening together. The song ended, all too soon and they found themselves applauding as Aaron Neville was introduced and began his first number.
"I put a spell on you
'Cause you're mine
You better stop the things you do
I ain't lyin'
No I ain't lyin'"
He pulled her into his arms again and they swayed to the music. This time, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. He bent his head and nuzzled top of hers. 'We are working. We are working,' he said to himself over and over, trying to resist the temptation in his arms. Concentration was vital to their survival tonight.
"You know I can't stand it
You're runnin' around
You know better mamma
I can't stand it cause you put me down
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
You're mine,"
Genevieve was trembling inside, as the words of the song and the rhythm of her partners' heart washed through her. His hand had felt good in hers, but his body against hers' felt even better. It had been so long since she had been held this closely by a man, for she had allowed no one since Marcus so close. 'Marcus.' The pain of his loss no longer fresh, but instead a dull ache that would never go away. Marcus was dead, and instead of dancing with him, here she was dancing with Severus Snape, the very antithesis of him.
She shouldn't be trembling inside, like this. They were working not dating. They were colleagues, inspite of her reluctance to have him as one. He felt so very good against her, and it had been so long.
"I love ya
I love you
I love you
I love you anyhow
And I don't care
if you don't want me
I'm yours right now
You hear me
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine"
Feeling as if she were under a spell, she lifted her face to his and placed a tentative kiss on his lips. He stiffened slightly in surprise at her advance, at the softness of her lips.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have done that."
He was about to respond, when he felt and then saw a pair of eyes staring at him. He stiffened for a moment, and then whispered. "We are being watched." Cupping her face in his hands, he drew her to him and pressed a passionate kiss upon her lips. With a sigh, she parted her lips beneath his and he accepted the invitation to deepen the kiss. He pulled her closer to him, his tongue gently probing the sweetness of her mouth.
He tasted and withdrew, ending the kiss that left them both slightly breathless.
"Shall we go?" he asked.
"Y-yes."
She snuggled into him, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her from the floor.
They walked, arm and arm through the night, stopping every few steps, to kiss each other and to make sure they were being followed. When they were finally in front of the entrance to a cemetery, Genevieve looked up at him, winked and pulled him to her lips.
It was by far, Severus thought, the most incredible kiss he had ever received. 'Blast her and her damn plan!' he thought as her soft, wet tongue invaded his mouth. Her body, eagerly pressed against his, was stirring his baser instincts and his hands itched to tear her dress off of her and take her on the spot. Mission or no, she was flirting with danger, he was after all, a man. Tearing his mouth away from hers, he smiled wickedly at her.
"Why Genevieve, can't you wait until we get back to our room?" he purred as he stroked his hand down her back and brought it to rest on the curve of her bottom.
"No, I want you now, Severus!" she exclaimed breathlessly. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him toward the gates of the graveyard.
"In the cemetery?"
"Yes. On Marie Laveau's grave to be exact. She was the local voodoo Queen. No one will disturb us there at night."
She pulled him through the gates and into the city of the dead. They walked along a path, leading them deeper into the cemetery, passing beautifully constructed mausoleums made of marble.
"Because the city is so far below sea-level, it's impossible to bury the dead in the ground. The holes fill up with water. So we use mausoleums instead," she explained. They took a left-hand turn down another path and after a few more steps, they came a stop in front of a tomb that was marked with various drawings and inscriptions. Genevieve walked up the steps that led to the doors of the monument carefully avoiding the bottles of whiskey and piles of coins that had been left in offering to the legendary woman.
Feeling the presence of the vampire nearby, she smiled and turned to invite Severus into her arms again, thus sealing the trap they had been so carefully laying. He had followed her up the steps, and was about to pin her against the marble door, when he was suddenly swept away. Genevieve watched in shock as he seemingly flew through the air and slammed against the hard surface of a tomb. She had her wand drawn in enough time to watch Severus' still form, slide to the ground.
Crouching into a fighting stance, she cautiously made her way down the steps, wanting to get away from the confines of the tomb. Turning in a slow circle, she could see no one, the cemetery seemingly deserted. She knew better and willed herself against going over to check on the health of her partner.
"Genevieve De laVerne." The soft voice shattered the silence, startling her. She swung around in the direction of the voice, her eyes searching the darkness for its source.
"Over here, Mademoiselle," came the voice from behind her.
She swung around again, wand at ready, looking for a target to cast her hex at.
"No, over here." from a different direction again.
He was playing with her and she decided to call him on it. She had never felt such danger; the atmosphere seemed pregnant with it. For the first time in the years since she had killed her first vampire, she felt fear. Her partner, who shouldn't really be there in the first place, was lying dead or unconscious in a heap against a grave, and she was alone in a deserted graveyard with a vampire who was obviously older than most who crossed her path. "Fuck!" she thought.
"Show yourself!" she said aloud,"Surely you're too old to play these foolish cat and mouse games?"
''And you are a foolish witch, hunting my kind, Mademoiselle," he replied as he stepped out of the shadows "Surely you didn't think you would never be discovered?"
Genevieve nearly gasped as he slowly revealed himself to her. He was by far the most beautiful creature she had yet seen. His hair was dark as night, and flowed down his back and shoulders. She couldn't tell where his hair ended and his suit began, for he was dressed entirely in black. The cut and style was modern and clean, sharp and crisp. It fit him perfectly accentuating his body, which was well formed although he was not as tall as she thought he'd be. His face was flawless, and classically handsome. His pale skin seemed to reflect the moonlight that shone down upon them. Almost against her will, she felt the desire to kiss his full lips; to feel those lips on her neck, to feel those hands stroke her. She allowed herself to gasp at the knowing smile he flashed her way, revealing his lethal incisors.
"Yes," he said "You hunt us to avenge your dead lover, yet you feel the temptation of us, don't you?"
He came to a stop in front of her. They stood face to face; she could feel his strong presence washing over her in waves, threatening to carry her into their tide. She gulped, finding it harder and harder to resist his power.
"W-what do you want with me?" she whispered clutching her wand tighter in her outstretched hand. "Why have you been stalking me?"
"It's very simple really, I want you, Genevieve." She gasped as he gently pushed her hand down to her side and grabbed her by the shoulders. Trembling and powerless, she allowed him to draw her closer until her body was pressed against him and she could feel is hot breath on her neck. "You are so beautiful," he whispered, placing a kiss at the nape of her neck sending shivers of lust down her spine. "I have desired you for so long."
"Impedimenta!" roared Snape and Genevieve felt herself flying through the air as her stalker shoved her away from him.
She landed against the doors of Marie Laveau's grave with such force that they flew open. She hit the back wall of the sepulchre with such force that the sound of her impact echoed out of the crypt and into the night. The last thing she heard and saw before sinking into the darkness invading her head, was Snapes' shouted, "Incendio!" and a red yellow arc of fire.