Again with ownership thing, I own nothing. Now's the part of the story where you have to pay attention because it's all about to explode. Again, if you like me, tell me – You're running out of time!!-D

This Could be the Last Time: Part 1

Black and white like an old movie, a dream? No, just a memory.

He woke up next to her. A sound woke him up. A cry? A whimper? Something. William? Wearily he pulled himself from the bed and picked up the baby monitor next to him. Soft fuzz emitted from the speaker. How do wizarding families live without one of these? He chuckled to himself and replaced the tiny blue piece of plastic on the bedside. Nothing felt out of the ordinary, but still he stepped out of the bedroom and into the small one to his right.

The window to the room was open, Snape panicked only for a brief

moment, he closed the window and peered into the crib. Sure enough, sitting

up in his crib looking quite content to keep sucking on his Big Bird blanket, William John Snape smiled up at his father. "You and that smiling thing of yours," he said quietly to his son. William reached up and his father responded accordingly. Williams chubby face and dark eyes were only accented by the large smile he had learned only a few months ago. "You smile like your mum, you must get it from her." Severus cradled the boy against his shoulder. The child was a bit warm but not too warm. Still, it was enough to tap mum on the shoulder for her expert advice.

Severus began to move from the crib. "Bih-Burd." William's face turned momentarily pouty, "Dah-dah, Bih-Burd," one little finger pointed over Snape's shoulder and back to crib. "You want Big Bird, William?" The little boy's head nodded in large waves of satisfaction. "Alright, get it." And with that Severus turned the boy upside down and held him by the heels. The boy laughed and giggled as he fished for his blanket. The only game the boys played when mommy wasn't around. "Get it, get it, get the bird." William laughed, that too was a new addition to his vocabulary. "Dah-dah-dah-dah-BURD!" William squealed with delight. Severus flipped the child towards him again and kissed him on the forehead. "God, you're such a good kid, I love you, you know that?" With big head nods, the baby confirmed. "Let's go wake up mommy." William nodded again.

"It's too late, boys. The deed is done. With all that squealing who could've slept through that?" Severus stepped toward Maylin. He kissed her lightly. She was so beautiful when she was tired. Tousled and disoriented was a thousand times sexier than prim and proper. "We were just trying to find a decent and loving way to wake you up, right William?" Head nods.

"Naked pool boy would've been fine."

"All out love, you'll have to settle for the half naked pre-med and his two foot tall babe magnet."

"Muh-muh." William giggled.

"I wasn't talking about you, William."

Maylin sighed and pinched her husband on the arm. "I swear you two will be the death of me." Maylin walked back into her son's room and sat in the rocking chair. "So is he sick?" She asked reaching for her son. "He's running a slight fever-" "-So you turned upside down?!"

"No, May, well, yes, but either way I wanted your opinion before I hopped over to the Shop."

"Are you out of fever reducer?"

"I guess his cold from last week drained my home supplies. I thought I had more, but it wasn't like I had much here anyway. This window was open, I'll seal that tomorrow."

Maylin placed her hand on the boy's forehead. "He doesn't feel hot, Sev."

Severus crouched down beside her. He held her tired hand and placed it on the boy's back. Immediately, she felt the heat rise. "Ok, I'm convinced. How long are you going to be?"

"Not too long."

"Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Great big no, my love."

"Good, then we can do Christmas cards."

Severus bowed his head. "May," he paused. "What happened to the rebellious out of her mind sex goddess I married? The May I married doesn't do Christmas cards."

"Well she does now, and so does her sweet loving supportive husband." Maylin's voice grew jokingly forceful.

"Do I look like James Potter? No. Because I brush my hair and I don't do Christmas cards."

"What about your Christmas spirit?"

Severus paused and pointed to William.

"He took it." Maylin gave the face.

"Tell her, William; tell muh -muh who doesn't do Christmas cards."

William looked up at his mother, "Dah-dah."

Maylin made the face again. "You're treading incredibly deadly waters Mr. Severus Snape."

Severus smiled at Maylin. He rolled up toward her, covered their son's eyes and kissed her deeply. "I love you. I'm just joshing you. You can have all the cheer and joy in a box you want." Maylin shifted smugly in the rocking chair. "That's what I thought. Now hurry up you git or I'll be forced to purchase one of those horrid lit up rotating reindeer."

"You wouldn't." "Go, Severus, go." Flu powder. "Kackles Apothecary." Smoke puff.

The only twenty four hour apothecary sits in a far corner of Diagon Alley away from the hustle and the bustle of big time commerce. Situated in a large wooden room, the store was home to thousands of rare and everyday ingredients. Like the muggle population, witches and wizards alike still argued of the best cure for the common cold but as luck would have it, the Worey Root has been known to treat even the direst of infant fevers. Severus appeared in the hearth. He dusted himself off and headed straight to main desk. The old man at the counter greeted him, asked if William's cold had returned.

"Just a slight fever, but I'd like to have it out of his system before the

relatives get a hold of him." The old man smiled and asked him how much he needed.

"Five ounces please."

"Anything else, lad?"

Severus stopped for a moment.

"You don't buy chance sell Christmas cards do you?"

The old man wheezed out a laugh. "No son, I sure don't, but I do believe that McFeely's right next door does. He's open all the time." Severus paid the man and stepped out into the cold.

"Severus?"

Snape turned on his heels to see a young man in an overcoat. His young handsome face beamed with recognition.

"Holden! How are you? What the bloody Hell are you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same of you."

The two man shook hands and eased comfortably into small talk.

"Well," replied Snape, "William's picking up a fever and Maylin is being struck down with the holiday spirit."

"How's that?"

"Christmas cards, Holden, the woman wants Christmas cards."

"Is this the same women that pulled the fire alarm at a David Bowie concert just so she could sneak backstage?"

Severus smiled, "The same."

"Dear God, man, you domesticated the last living wonder in the West."

"No, she's just happy, I was actually going to buy her a set of cards to make her feel better."

"You're whipped you know that, right?"

" Balls in a jar, but I wouldn't want it any other way."

Holden paused and looked up at his old friend.

"You'd die for her, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would what kind of silly ass question is that?"

"It's not a silly question, Severus."

Holden's voice changed. He spoke slowly, more articulate. He inched in on Snape. "I just think it's lovely how you would do anything for someone. It's quite a feat to say that you would put yourself in some kind of harms way just because of a woman."

Severus inched back. What was going on. "Holden I have to go."

Sensing danger Snape turned back to the apothecary, when suddenly pain

and darkness over took him.

Dark room. Concrete Floor. One small light; a crack beneath a door? Shoulder hurts. Where am I?

"May?" Snape's voice felt clouded in dust. Footsteps.

"Maylin is not here, Severus." The voice came from behind. Scratchy yet booming. Footsteps were light. Snape jumped to his feet when he felt the icy grasp on his arm.

Disoriented, he balanced himself and tried to open his eyes.

"Illuminous," said the voice.

The room erupted with flamed torches. The room looked almost ancient. Grey stone walls surrounded him. No windows, one heavy wooden door marked the entrance. He was engulfed by the presence of what must have been fifteen people all shrouded eerily in black. There was no way out.

"Severus?"

Snape turned to the voice behind him. Another figure covered in black, his face and hands hidden.

"What do you want with me?"

"I have a simple proposition for you, young man. You could call it an opportunity of a lifetime."