Author's Note: Here's another of those non-board friendly scenes again! Read at your own risk! Run away...as per regular, I'd rate this a PG-15.

Chapter 22: Unedited Beginning

Sirius walked through the partially opened front door, which confirmed his suspicions. Isabelle was here. The glow of the moon shone through the windows, illuminating the room. He had an eerie feeling standing in the middle of the room, which looked exactly like it did before they left.

"Isabelle?" he called. His voice echoed throughout the house. "Isabelle, where are you?"

No answer. He began searching the house room by room, with no luck. As he walked onto the back veranda, he suddenly knew where she was. He had to talk to her, to try to make some sense of their peculiar relationship.

Sirius quietly crossed the backyard on his way to Isabelle's old fort, drawn by some magnetic power he couldn't describe. Somehow, he knew that she was there. It's where she always went to be alone and think. As he approached the entrance of the fort, she turned to face him. The moon illuminated her features, giving her the angelic glow that never failed to take his breath away.

"Isabelle?"

She laughed hollowly. "Right on time. I should've expected this."

"Expected what?" Her cold response shocked him.

"Every time, I begin to get over you, you manage to show back up," she spat, eyes full of contempt.

"Over me? What are you talking about?"

"Typical Sirius. Completely blind to what's in front of you." She sighed. "I can lie to you in front of the children or anyone else that asks. But, not here. Do you remember the first time you found me here?"

"How could I forget?"

"I was so scared, and felt so alone. Then, you came here, and you spoke to me. And, from that first word, I knew my life would never be the same. Remember when you told me about our star?"

"Of course." He smiled at the memory.

"Every night since then, I would go outside and look at the stars. Sometimes I would talk to them, and pretend that you and everyone else could hear me. Other times I would just stare, and make a wish."

"What did you wish?"

"For the one thing I've always wanted, and will never have." She closed her eyes, and slowly slid down the doorway, pounding her fists on the ground. "Damn you, and your stars. And damn the dreams I wished on them. I'm tired of hoping and dreaming – no more. I'm through with all of it. Sirius, I hate you. I hate you and everything you stand for. Most of all, I hate that you'll never, ever love me."

"I do, Isabelle," he said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. She threw it off, and spun around to face him, wild-eyed.

"Don't patronize me. You ruined me, Sirius. You made me love you more than anyone else, but you didn't want me, either. You never have. No one has even remotely compared to you, but what choice did I have other than to try to forget you in the arms of another man? But, I never forgot," she sobbed, clenching her fists tightly. He knelt down beside her and pulled her to his chest.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, pushing him away. She wiped her tears on her robe sleeve and looked at the water. "Let me tell you something about your precious stars. Every night, they twinkle so brightly in the sky, just out of my reach. Beautiful to look at, but untouchable. Just like you."

Sirius caught her by the arm as she tried to run away and pulled her into a tight embrace. His free hand trembled as he turned her face to his, brushing away a stray tear.

"Gráim thú, (I love you)" he whispered, looking into her disbelieving eyes. "Tá tú an grá mo chroí, anim anam chara. (You are the love of my heart, my soulmate)"

"What? S-stop mocking me," she wailed, trying to break free of him.

He kissed her as if his life depended on it, which wasn't far from the truth. He needed her, and was willing to show her by any means necessary to make her understand.

"Was that mocking you? Isabelle, I meant what I said. Please believe me," he begged. She fell limply to the ground in shock.

"You just feel sorry for me. Just leave," she pointed to the pathway. "Leave!"

"No. I'm not leaving until you listen to me. You are the love of my heart. You stole my heart from the very first time I saw you. And, yes, I was blind to the fact that you grew up. I wanted you to be a little girl forever."

"I see."

"Isabelle, when I went to prison, you were still a skinny girl with knobby knees. And you came back into my life with the face of an angel and a body I find almost impossible to resist. I needed some time to get used to that idea."

"Almost impossible?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Months of extremely cold showers," he admitted calmly.

"How cold?" she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Does the Arctic Ocean ring a bell? So, I've fought this war with myself, trying to deny that I'm completely in love with you."

"Completely?" she snorted.

"Completely," he answered sincerely, kissing her slowly and passionately, lowering her onto the ground. He realized that she was crying and looked at her, concerned.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I've wanted you to say those words longer than I can remember, and now that you have, I don't know what to do."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I think we can figure it out."

She smiled through her tears, abandoning herself to the moment. With every touch, every kiss, Isabelle forgot that she came here to get over Sirius. Even in her wildest fantasies, she never imagined that being with him would be like this. She felt like time stopped, and she was lost in some sort of alternate reality.

"Does your offer still stand?" he whispered into her ear, before kissing it softly.

"What offer is that?"

"The one you made when you pretended to be drunk off Jose Cuervo," he teased.

"So, you found out my secret, huh?"

He nodded. "Yes, and I'm very sick of cold showers, so please end my misery."

"Well, when you put it like that…" her voice trailed off as she reached up and deftly unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off in one smooth motion. "Is that enough answer for you?"

He could only nod, stunned, as she kissed his neck and chest while removing the remainder of his clothing.

"Nice tattoo," she said with an evil smirk. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Well, I can't resist doing this," he replied, pulling off her lightweight sweater, struck by the sight of her in the moonlight. "You are so beautiful, Isabelle."

Right then, he realized that the battle against his feelings for Isabelle was over once and for all. He willingly surrendered, knowing that their relationship was changed forever. The irony of the situation struck Sirius. Of all the locations in the world to profess his love for her, and to make love to her for the first time (of many, he hoped), it would happen in this fort. The place where their relationship began – it was almost like hallowed ground.

If the fort was hallowed ground, then making love to her was a mystical, almost spiritual experience. One that he would never, and could never forget.