Disclaimer: I own nothing of J.K. Rowling's. I appreciate her work greatly, but I own none of her characters.
Author's Note: Okay, the first part's shit. But the second part....the second part is really nifty! ....right, if you haven't seen Chicago that probably went completely over your head.
Chapter Thirteen
SMACK!
Okay, so maybe cleaning up wasn't such a good idea, Brynn thought, rubbing her smarting forehead. She looked down at the lamp resting on the floor. Ouch.
Sirius was in the shower, hopefully scrubbing off memories of the veil. Brynn had decided to clean up the house a bit, since it had gone scrappy after The Order had abandoned it for its new location, which was much more secure than Grimmauld Place—which was saying a lot, considering no one knew where Grimmauld Place was.
She looked up from the floor to find Sirius standing in the doorway, looking quite lovely in his new black robes and especially well with his new haircut and clean-shaven face. Brynn had given his hair quite a cut before he'd showered, making him appear ten years younger.
"Oh, are you the housekeeper?" he asked playfully. "Do you cook as well? How about a nice shepherd's pie and hmm...for pudding, a nice Knickerbocker glory..."
"Oh, of course, sir," Brynn smiled, then with a small POP! transformed herself into a French maid, complete with feather duster and lace-up high heels.
Sirius smiled at her as she changed back to herself: a curly-haired brunette sporting a moss green pea coat and jeans. The white shirt she wore beneath the jacket had dust spots on it, and she could feel the dust on her face as well.
As if on cue, Sirius advanced toward her, using his thumb to remove a spot of dust from her nose. He embraced her, placing his hand at the small of her back as he had always done. When he leaned to kiss her, she hesitated and pushed him back slightly.
"Er, umm..." she began, looking at his confused face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, not understanding.
"I..." she looked at his caring face, wondering how she could have been such a bad, bad girl. "I really need to tell you some things."
"What is there to tell? Unless it's something along the lines of Voldemort being obliterated."
With that comment, Brynn realized that Sirius hadn't heard the prophecy yet, and that, in fact, could be more important to him than she and Draco Malfoy's relationship. After all, Harry was his godson.
"Well there are a few important things," she said, looking him squarely in the eye.
She led him to a nearby sofa and sat him there, never letting her glance falter.
"So what is it?" he asked. "Tell me now. Anything about you or Harry, I want to know right now." He took her hand in his.
"Well, had Dumbledore ever told you the prophecy?" she asked.
"Harry's prophecy?"
"Yes."
He looked at her strangely. "Harry dropped it. I wasn't aware Dumbledore knew what it contained."
Her face twisted. "Sirius, Dumbledore knew. He knew but he told Harry first, after he'd dropped it...he told the rest of the Order afterward. Er..."
"Well what was it?" he demanded, leaning closer.
"Er...well..."
"Just tell, Brynna! I can handle it!"
"Well...okay..." She looked at him. "It's...okay, okay...the prophecy stated that only Harry can cause Voldemort's downfall. Either Voldemort is killed, or Harry is killed."
She looked at Sirius as his face registered this fact. It was darker, withdrawn, as he contemplated the matter at hand.
"Harry or Voldemort."
"Yes," she whispered.
"Oh God." For an instant he looked extremely aged, and Brynn was truly frightened. The last time she'd seen Sirius look so terrified was the moment before he'd slipped behind the veil. He looked at her, studying her expression, which had stayed calm. His hands ran anxiously through his hair.
"Well what else?" he asked finally.
"Pardon me?"
"What else did you need to tell me?"
"Oh, right. Er..." Somehow telling him about Draco was harder than telling him about Harry's prophecy.
"I know it has to be the reason you wouldn't kiss me," he admonished covertly.
She stared at her hands, which were resting in her lap.
I've been a bad, bad girl. I've been careless with a delicate man...Fiona Apple sang to her. It's a sad, sad world when a girl will break a boy just because she can...
"Sirius, I was with someone else this past year. It began in February and I ended it three weeks ago."
She looked him straight in the eye, and he stared.
"Excuse me?"
"I was with someone else."
"In a relationship? Did you...well, you know...did you sleep with him?"
She nodded, turning her eyes to her lap again.
"You did."
"Yes, Sirius, I did," she said, sharply turning her focus to him.
"You did."
"Yes, Sirius. I have told you I did."
"Stop."
"I'm sorry," she said, ashamed she'd been so shrill.
"Who?"
"Pardon me?"
"Who is this guy?"
She coughed. "Well, er...that's the thing."
"Go on, then." He looked quite tried.
"It's..."
"Well spit it out. I'd really care to know who my competition is."
"There's no competition, Sirius!" she exclaimed. "God, comparing you to Draco!!!"
"Draco............" he thought. "Malfoy? Harry's arch enemy!" His face turned red as he stared at her. "You're kidding me!"
"No, I'm not. I'm really not kidding."
"Oh no. No no no. You're joking. Well...I mean he's nothing but a child! And an evil one at that!" His eyes drilled holes in her. She ached down to her core.
"He's changed, really he has."
"How do you know he's changed? His father is a known Death Eater!!! I can't believe this!"
"I'm sorry." It was a fragile whisper, and it broke halfway between her mouth and Sirius's.
He looked at her for an eternity. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. "I'm here for a short amount of time. All I wanted was for everything to be perfect."
"Nothing is perfect," she responded automatically, then registered what he said. "A short amount of time?"
He looked at her, studying her face intently. A tear escaped his eye as he looked at her, then looked away. "Coming back from the veil doesn't last forever. You should have known that, Brynn. You of all people, being an Auror."
She looked downward. "How long?"
"One month."
She bit her lip as she felt the tears welling in her eyes. "...That's...that's...it?"
He nodded, and she began weeping silently. Though he was sitting just beside her, he didn't reach to comfort her. As a babbling idiot, she began relating her apologies.
"God I'm so sorry I was with Draco. I'm sorry for even thinking of other men. You have no clue how much I've thought of you lately, especially now that I'm back at the Ministry. Every day, Sirius. The more I think of you the more it hurts me inside...
"And I still can't get over not being there to fight Bellatrix with you. I can't forgive myself. If I had been there, maybe we could have fought her together and—"
"Oh, Brynna," he murmured, reaching over and smoothing her hair. "You had no part in my going beyond the veil. It was all my fault—I never should have taken the warning seriously. I should have known it was all a big con."
She sobbed into his shoulder as he stroked her hair, soothing her.
"I can't do this without you, Sirius," she sobbed. "Even if we aren't together, I need you as a friend. Don't leave me again. Please. Please..."
"I have to go back...but let's make the most of the time we have together..."
She hiccoughed into his shoulder and he pushed her back, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. "I don't know how much fun I'm going to be knowing you're going to leave me again."
"People overcome things mysteriously," he said. "You never know how it will be until you're in that situation. But please, for me, Brynna, please just be happy...for me...please...please..."
She leaned into him and pressed as tightly as she could. "Just hold me now, Sirius. Please."
He stroked her hair and settled further into the couch. "Sometimes it's nice just to have someone to hold," he breathed into her.
"Isn't it, though?" she responded, resting her right hand on his chest.
She woke with just her knickers and bra on. What the hell? she wondered. I wasn't that knackered last night.
"I've never known you to be so wild in bed," Sirius laughed, carrying a tray of breakfast to her as she sat up.
"What happened?" she asked hurriedly. "We didn't...?"
"Oh, no," he laughed. "Sorry, I know it seems peculiar. No, the funny thing was...I laid you down in bed...must have been too warm in the room last night...at every turn you took off another piece of clothing." He bit into a piece of toast as she poured milk into her tea, looking at him. "Quite nice for me, really," he said thoughtfully, looking over at her and smiling.
"Sod off!" she laughed, smacking him playfully. "Though I do remember it being rather warm...I bet this room hasn't been properly aired since the Order left!"
"Probably not," he said, finishing off the toast. "You look flushed...would you like a shower?"
"That sounds nice," she said, running her fingers hastily through her gritty hair. "I feel horrid."
"Off today, then?" he asked carefully, as if expecting her to jump at this. He was even gripping the tray.
"Yes, off for three days actually," she said.
"Lovely."
She smiled at him and took a piece of toast. It tasted lovely, and she realized she hadn't eaten since midday the afternoon before. "I'd best be off for a shower, then," she said, rising carefully so as not to disturb the tray.
"Nice knickers," he said, watching her walk out. "I've always admired a nice pair of knickers."
"I bet you have," she retorted, throwing him a smirk as she walked to the hallway.
She popped into the bedroom a few minutes later, sporting only a towel. "This place is really the pits, isn't it?" she asked, smiling. "Look what I've found in the loo!"
Brynn held up a pair of her nice jeans and a sweatshirt. "Freshly cleaned, just waiting for me!"
He laughed and watched as she slipped them on. "Don't they need aired just a tad?"
"No, they're fine actually, want a sniff?" she asked.
"No, I think I'll pass. Cheers."
She took the tray from him as he polished off the last bit of his tea. "Thanks for the breakfast," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Really nice of you."
"It's no problem," he said, following her to the kitchen. He'd already cleaned himself up and was wearing a pair of nice Muggle chinos and a sweatshirt as well. Brynn had given him one of her Oxford ones. She wondered idly if it still smelled of her perfume and shampoo, but decided against taking a whiff.
Brynn began washing dishes with her wand, giving them a few extra swishes around in the water. Sirius watched her absently, his face propped up by his hands. He was studying her every move, memorizing it and engraving it into his memory. Sadly, she couldn't help but wonder if he was doing this to benefit himself when the time came to leave her again.
"Shall I bring Harry to you today, then?" she asked. "I'm sure the Dursleys won't mind him being gone."
"That would be fantastic!" he exclaimed, still studying her. "I'll try to tidy up while you're gone."
"Great! I think I'll just go after we have tea this afternoon," she said, directing the dishes into the cupboards. When the final cupboard had slammed shut, she turned to Sirius.
"What to do now?" she asked.
"I want to hear absolutely every little gritty detail about this Draco Malfoy boy, up until you two broke it off," he said, approaching her.
"And if I don't?" she asked mischievously.
"Then I'll just have to hold you down and tickle you to death!" he exclaimed, giving her a bit of a preview. She squealed with torture as she fell to the floor. How she hated being tickled, and how he knew it.
"Okay, okay," she conceded, though she really hadn't put up much of a fight. "I'll tell you already!"
They sat at the table and Sirius began the Spanish Inquisition. "So, how'd you and Drakey-boy meet and get off?"
Brynn laughed at the horrid nickname and the idea of "getting off" with Draco. "He was in one of my classes. He asked me to this idea I had—the Muggle Valentine's Ball...like a Muggle prom, you know. Well we just...we just never made it to the prom."
"Tsk, tsk, Brynna. A good girl waits," Sirius laughed, looking at her across the table.
"Oh, as if we waited!" she huffed, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
"Oh yes we did wait!" he exclaimed, taking a nip of his water. "We waited two whole days!"
"Oh blimey, someone call the Twisted Knickers Squad," Brynn said drably, rolling her eyes again.
"Two days is a long time when you've been in prison, then hiding," he said seriously. "I was ravenous."
She eyed him. "That is quite possibly the shoddiest line anyone's ever spoken."
He laughed and began his questionnaire once more. "So, what did this Draco boy possess that a man of my like doesn't?"
"Well, he...er...I don't...er..."
"Did he do...this?" Sirius asked, leaning closer and very lightly, as if it hadn't happened at all, kissing her neck.
Brynn shivered at his touch. "Don't do this to me."
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"You know exactly what you're doing, Sirius!" she laughed, swatting him with her wand as he sloppily kissed her cheeks, leaving drool all over her face. "Ick, now you've given me boy cooties!" she laughed.
"Yes, you'll really need to sanitize yourself," he continued playfully. "But it can't be worse than this!"
He tackled her to the ground, pinning down while tickling her along her inner thighs, right where he knew it killed her most.
"Ahh, stop! You giant git!" she yelled, hardly breathing from his torture. "Stop your little foray right now!"
"What's that?" he mockingly asked, holding a hand to his ear. "I can't hear a thing!"
"Stop!" she screamed.
"Eh?" he asked again, continuing to afflict her with his hands.
She pulled his ear to her lips. "Stop it, Sirius," she whispered, and he pulled his face to hers. They studied each other for a moment, face to face, until, ever-so-softly, Sirius leaned down and kissed her, just barely grazing her lips.
"God," she whispered as he moved his hands to her waist. "I've missed this so much."
"I thought you had ickle Draco to fulfill your every sexual desire," he teased, playing absently with the fringe of her sweatshirt.
"You know what I mean," she admonished softly, looking him straight in the eye. "Us. I've missed us."
He nuzzled himself into the crick of her neck. "God, me too," he whispered, gently bringing his hand to her cheek. "We feel so right together..."
Her stomach was swimming with butterflies and her heart hammered in her chest as he nervously, as if for the first time, raised her shirt over her head. He faltered a bit and she helped him; he gratefully smiled at her. "I've been out of practice, forgive me."
"You're perfect," she said affectionately, her heart ready to explode in her chest. She hadn't been this nervous since her first time.
He made his way to the straps of her bra, outlining them with his lips. They were dry and brittle and they burned into every centimeter of her skin. When he inched down her jeans, he playfully tickled behind her knees and she swatted him.
"God, you can never give me a rest, can you?" she reprimanded.
"Mmm...from the sound of it you're not getting a holiday," he said, nuzzling her stomach just above her panty line.
"Well if you wouldn't be so bloody good at it then—" she broke off into a low, throaty moan as he lowered her knickers and began kissing from her ankles up to her thighs.
When he'd finally made his way back to her lips, she carefully eased his shirt over his head, as if performing excruciatingly complicated surgery. He moaned into her hair as she kissed her way down his neck and ran her fingers through his short dark hair. He smelled of the same soap and cologne that he always had, and it drove Brynn absolutely wild.
They stopped for a moment and just looked at each other, feeling positively comfortable yet excruciatingly awkward. As Sirius continued to stare at her, he began unzipping his pants, never allowing his eyes to leave hers.
When they were both completely bare, he brought his arms under her carefully, trying to keep her from being hurt under his weight. She roped her arms carefully around his neck, entrusting herself to him.
He bit into her shoulder as if it were a sweet, hungrily devouring the very taste of her. "I can't believe I've gone this long without you..." he trailed off, moving his lips across her collarbone.
Brynn looked into his penetrating eyes. "Right now," she said, almost inaudibly, but he knew exactly what she'd said.
"Are you sure?" he asked nervously, still holding her as if she were a piece of delicate china.
She nodded, her eyes blinking up at him trustingly. He slowly, slowly pushed into her, as if she were doing this for the first time. He glanced at her, trying to see if she was in any way hurt.
"I'm fine," she whispered, clutching his shoulders a bit tighter as he slid completely inside her. "I'm fine. You're absolutely perfect."
He buried himself in Brynn's neck as he moved inside her. Brynn ached for him to be closer, and she wrapped her legs completely around his lower back. He groaned as she pushed him further inside her.
"I wish..." he trailed off, pausing for a low, throaty moan.
She brought a hand to his flushed cheek as they unanimously sighed with pleasure. "I love you so much," she cried, a tear slipping down her face.
"I love you too, Brynn. Don't cry now," he soothed, kissing her tears from her face. "I'm here."
She pushed her legs harder into his back, trying to bring him closer, while simultaneously bringing his face closer with her arms. "Don't leave me," she begged, looking up at him, her green eyes teeming with innocence.
"I won't," he promised, pushing further into her as she moaned into his toned shoulder.
They moaned and moved together as they always had before, each clinging to the other as they put their complications behind them for the moment. All they knew was the other at the moment, and Brynn cried and clawed until her voice was raspy and her lips were pulpy and sore. He spilled into her and she clawed him one final time, still clinging to him as he rolled away so as not to hurt her.
"I love you so much," he whispered, stroking her face gently, lovingly.
"I love you too," she answered, breaking into a genuine smile. And she honestly thought that loving him was enough to keep him with her forever.
Author's Note: Okay, the first part's shit. But the second part....the second part is really nifty! ....right, if you haven't seen Chicago that probably went completely over your head.
Chapter Thirteen
SMACK!
Okay, so maybe cleaning up wasn't such a good idea, Brynn thought, rubbing her smarting forehead. She looked down at the lamp resting on the floor. Ouch.
Sirius was in the shower, hopefully scrubbing off memories of the veil. Brynn had decided to clean up the house a bit, since it had gone scrappy after The Order had abandoned it for its new location, which was much more secure than Grimmauld Place—which was saying a lot, considering no one knew where Grimmauld Place was.
She looked up from the floor to find Sirius standing in the doorway, looking quite lovely in his new black robes and especially well with his new haircut and clean-shaven face. Brynn had given his hair quite a cut before he'd showered, making him appear ten years younger.
"Oh, are you the housekeeper?" he asked playfully. "Do you cook as well? How about a nice shepherd's pie and hmm...for pudding, a nice Knickerbocker glory..."
"Oh, of course, sir," Brynn smiled, then with a small POP! transformed herself into a French maid, complete with feather duster and lace-up high heels.
Sirius smiled at her as she changed back to herself: a curly-haired brunette sporting a moss green pea coat and jeans. The white shirt she wore beneath the jacket had dust spots on it, and she could feel the dust on her face as well.
As if on cue, Sirius advanced toward her, using his thumb to remove a spot of dust from her nose. He embraced her, placing his hand at the small of her back as he had always done. When he leaned to kiss her, she hesitated and pushed him back slightly.
"Er, umm..." she began, looking at his confused face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, not understanding.
"I..." she looked at his caring face, wondering how she could have been such a bad, bad girl. "I really need to tell you some things."
"What is there to tell? Unless it's something along the lines of Voldemort being obliterated."
With that comment, Brynn realized that Sirius hadn't heard the prophecy yet, and that, in fact, could be more important to him than she and Draco Malfoy's relationship. After all, Harry was his godson.
"Well there are a few important things," she said, looking him squarely in the eye.
She led him to a nearby sofa and sat him there, never letting her glance falter.
"So what is it?" he asked. "Tell me now. Anything about you or Harry, I want to know right now." He took her hand in his.
"Well, had Dumbledore ever told you the prophecy?" she asked.
"Harry's prophecy?"
"Yes."
He looked at her strangely. "Harry dropped it. I wasn't aware Dumbledore knew what it contained."
Her face twisted. "Sirius, Dumbledore knew. He knew but he told Harry first, after he'd dropped it...he told the rest of the Order afterward. Er..."
"Well what was it?" he demanded, leaning closer.
"Er...well..."
"Just tell, Brynna! I can handle it!"
"Well...okay..." She looked at him. "It's...okay, okay...the prophecy stated that only Harry can cause Voldemort's downfall. Either Voldemort is killed, or Harry is killed."
She looked at Sirius as his face registered this fact. It was darker, withdrawn, as he contemplated the matter at hand.
"Harry or Voldemort."
"Yes," she whispered.
"Oh God." For an instant he looked extremely aged, and Brynn was truly frightened. The last time she'd seen Sirius look so terrified was the moment before he'd slipped behind the veil. He looked at her, studying her expression, which had stayed calm. His hands ran anxiously through his hair.
"Well what else?" he asked finally.
"Pardon me?"
"What else did you need to tell me?"
"Oh, right. Er..." Somehow telling him about Draco was harder than telling him about Harry's prophecy.
"I know it has to be the reason you wouldn't kiss me," he admonished covertly.
She stared at her hands, which were resting in her lap.
I've been a bad, bad girl. I've been careless with a delicate man...Fiona Apple sang to her. It's a sad, sad world when a girl will break a boy just because she can...
"Sirius, I was with someone else this past year. It began in February and I ended it three weeks ago."
She looked him straight in the eye, and he stared.
"Excuse me?"
"I was with someone else."
"In a relationship? Did you...well, you know...did you sleep with him?"
She nodded, turning her eyes to her lap again.
"You did."
"Yes, Sirius, I did," she said, sharply turning her focus to him.
"You did."
"Yes, Sirius. I have told you I did."
"Stop."
"I'm sorry," she said, ashamed she'd been so shrill.
"Who?"
"Pardon me?"
"Who is this guy?"
She coughed. "Well, er...that's the thing."
"Go on, then." He looked quite tried.
"It's..."
"Well spit it out. I'd really care to know who my competition is."
"There's no competition, Sirius!" she exclaimed. "God, comparing you to Draco!!!"
"Draco............" he thought. "Malfoy? Harry's arch enemy!" His face turned red as he stared at her. "You're kidding me!"
"No, I'm not. I'm really not kidding."
"Oh no. No no no. You're joking. Well...I mean he's nothing but a child! And an evil one at that!" His eyes drilled holes in her. She ached down to her core.
"He's changed, really he has."
"How do you know he's changed? His father is a known Death Eater!!! I can't believe this!"
"I'm sorry." It was a fragile whisper, and it broke halfway between her mouth and Sirius's.
He looked at her for an eternity. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. "I'm here for a short amount of time. All I wanted was for everything to be perfect."
"Nothing is perfect," she responded automatically, then registered what he said. "A short amount of time?"
He looked at her, studying her face intently. A tear escaped his eye as he looked at her, then looked away. "Coming back from the veil doesn't last forever. You should have known that, Brynn. You of all people, being an Auror."
She looked downward. "How long?"
"One month."
She bit her lip as she felt the tears welling in her eyes. "...That's...that's...it?"
He nodded, and she began weeping silently. Though he was sitting just beside her, he didn't reach to comfort her. As a babbling idiot, she began relating her apologies.
"God I'm so sorry I was with Draco. I'm sorry for even thinking of other men. You have no clue how much I've thought of you lately, especially now that I'm back at the Ministry. Every day, Sirius. The more I think of you the more it hurts me inside...
"And I still can't get over not being there to fight Bellatrix with you. I can't forgive myself. If I had been there, maybe we could have fought her together and—"
"Oh, Brynna," he murmured, reaching over and smoothing her hair. "You had no part in my going beyond the veil. It was all my fault—I never should have taken the warning seriously. I should have known it was all a big con."
She sobbed into his shoulder as he stroked her hair, soothing her.
"I can't do this without you, Sirius," she sobbed. "Even if we aren't together, I need you as a friend. Don't leave me again. Please. Please..."
"I have to go back...but let's make the most of the time we have together..."
She hiccoughed into his shoulder and he pushed her back, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. "I don't know how much fun I'm going to be knowing you're going to leave me again."
"People overcome things mysteriously," he said. "You never know how it will be until you're in that situation. But please, for me, Brynna, please just be happy...for me...please...please..."
She leaned into him and pressed as tightly as she could. "Just hold me now, Sirius. Please."
He stroked her hair and settled further into the couch. "Sometimes it's nice just to have someone to hold," he breathed into her.
"Isn't it, though?" she responded, resting her right hand on his chest.
She woke with just her knickers and bra on. What the hell? she wondered. I wasn't that knackered last night.
"I've never known you to be so wild in bed," Sirius laughed, carrying a tray of breakfast to her as she sat up.
"What happened?" she asked hurriedly. "We didn't...?"
"Oh, no," he laughed. "Sorry, I know it seems peculiar. No, the funny thing was...I laid you down in bed...must have been too warm in the room last night...at every turn you took off another piece of clothing." He bit into a piece of toast as she poured milk into her tea, looking at him. "Quite nice for me, really," he said thoughtfully, looking over at her and smiling.
"Sod off!" she laughed, smacking him playfully. "Though I do remember it being rather warm...I bet this room hasn't been properly aired since the Order left!"
"Probably not," he said, finishing off the toast. "You look flushed...would you like a shower?"
"That sounds nice," she said, running her fingers hastily through her gritty hair. "I feel horrid."
"Off today, then?" he asked carefully, as if expecting her to jump at this. He was even gripping the tray.
"Yes, off for three days actually," she said.
"Lovely."
She smiled at him and took a piece of toast. It tasted lovely, and she realized she hadn't eaten since midday the afternoon before. "I'd best be off for a shower, then," she said, rising carefully so as not to disturb the tray.
"Nice knickers," he said, watching her walk out. "I've always admired a nice pair of knickers."
"I bet you have," she retorted, throwing him a smirk as she walked to the hallway.
She popped into the bedroom a few minutes later, sporting only a towel. "This place is really the pits, isn't it?" she asked, smiling. "Look what I've found in the loo!"
Brynn held up a pair of her nice jeans and a sweatshirt. "Freshly cleaned, just waiting for me!"
He laughed and watched as she slipped them on. "Don't they need aired just a tad?"
"No, they're fine actually, want a sniff?" she asked.
"No, I think I'll pass. Cheers."
She took the tray from him as he polished off the last bit of his tea. "Thanks for the breakfast," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Really nice of you."
"It's no problem," he said, following her to the kitchen. He'd already cleaned himself up and was wearing a pair of nice Muggle chinos and a sweatshirt as well. Brynn had given him one of her Oxford ones. She wondered idly if it still smelled of her perfume and shampoo, but decided against taking a whiff.
Brynn began washing dishes with her wand, giving them a few extra swishes around in the water. Sirius watched her absently, his face propped up by his hands. He was studying her every move, memorizing it and engraving it into his memory. Sadly, she couldn't help but wonder if he was doing this to benefit himself when the time came to leave her again.
"Shall I bring Harry to you today, then?" she asked. "I'm sure the Dursleys won't mind him being gone."
"That would be fantastic!" he exclaimed, still studying her. "I'll try to tidy up while you're gone."
"Great! I think I'll just go after we have tea this afternoon," she said, directing the dishes into the cupboards. When the final cupboard had slammed shut, she turned to Sirius.
"What to do now?" she asked.
"I want to hear absolutely every little gritty detail about this Draco Malfoy boy, up until you two broke it off," he said, approaching her.
"And if I don't?" she asked mischievously.
"Then I'll just have to hold you down and tickle you to death!" he exclaimed, giving her a bit of a preview. She squealed with torture as she fell to the floor. How she hated being tickled, and how he knew it.
"Okay, okay," she conceded, though she really hadn't put up much of a fight. "I'll tell you already!"
They sat at the table and Sirius began the Spanish Inquisition. "So, how'd you and Drakey-boy meet and get off?"
Brynn laughed at the horrid nickname and the idea of "getting off" with Draco. "He was in one of my classes. He asked me to this idea I had—the Muggle Valentine's Ball...like a Muggle prom, you know. Well we just...we just never made it to the prom."
"Tsk, tsk, Brynna. A good girl waits," Sirius laughed, looking at her across the table.
"Oh, as if we waited!" she huffed, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
"Oh yes we did wait!" he exclaimed, taking a nip of his water. "We waited two whole days!"
"Oh blimey, someone call the Twisted Knickers Squad," Brynn said drably, rolling her eyes again.
"Two days is a long time when you've been in prison, then hiding," he said seriously. "I was ravenous."
She eyed him. "That is quite possibly the shoddiest line anyone's ever spoken."
He laughed and began his questionnaire once more. "So, what did this Draco boy possess that a man of my like doesn't?"
"Well, he...er...I don't...er..."
"Did he do...this?" Sirius asked, leaning closer and very lightly, as if it hadn't happened at all, kissing her neck.
Brynn shivered at his touch. "Don't do this to me."
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"You know exactly what you're doing, Sirius!" she laughed, swatting him with her wand as he sloppily kissed her cheeks, leaving drool all over her face. "Ick, now you've given me boy cooties!" she laughed.
"Yes, you'll really need to sanitize yourself," he continued playfully. "But it can't be worse than this!"
He tackled her to the ground, pinning down while tickling her along her inner thighs, right where he knew it killed her most.
"Ahh, stop! You giant git!" she yelled, hardly breathing from his torture. "Stop your little foray right now!"
"What's that?" he mockingly asked, holding a hand to his ear. "I can't hear a thing!"
"Stop!" she screamed.
"Eh?" he asked again, continuing to afflict her with his hands.
She pulled his ear to her lips. "Stop it, Sirius," she whispered, and he pulled his face to hers. They studied each other for a moment, face to face, until, ever-so-softly, Sirius leaned down and kissed her, just barely grazing her lips.
"God," she whispered as he moved his hands to her waist. "I've missed this so much."
"I thought you had ickle Draco to fulfill your every sexual desire," he teased, playing absently with the fringe of her sweatshirt.
"You know what I mean," she admonished softly, looking him straight in the eye. "Us. I've missed us."
He nuzzled himself into the crick of her neck. "God, me too," he whispered, gently bringing his hand to her cheek. "We feel so right together..."
Her stomach was swimming with butterflies and her heart hammered in her chest as he nervously, as if for the first time, raised her shirt over her head. He faltered a bit and she helped him; he gratefully smiled at her. "I've been out of practice, forgive me."
"You're perfect," she said affectionately, her heart ready to explode in her chest. She hadn't been this nervous since her first time.
He made his way to the straps of her bra, outlining them with his lips. They were dry and brittle and they burned into every centimeter of her skin. When he inched down her jeans, he playfully tickled behind her knees and she swatted him.
"God, you can never give me a rest, can you?" she reprimanded.
"Mmm...from the sound of it you're not getting a holiday," he said, nuzzling her stomach just above her panty line.
"Well if you wouldn't be so bloody good at it then—" she broke off into a low, throaty moan as he lowered her knickers and began kissing from her ankles up to her thighs.
When he'd finally made his way back to her lips, she carefully eased his shirt over his head, as if performing excruciatingly complicated surgery. He moaned into her hair as she kissed her way down his neck and ran her fingers through his short dark hair. He smelled of the same soap and cologne that he always had, and it drove Brynn absolutely wild.
They stopped for a moment and just looked at each other, feeling positively comfortable yet excruciatingly awkward. As Sirius continued to stare at her, he began unzipping his pants, never allowing his eyes to leave hers.
When they were both completely bare, he brought his arms under her carefully, trying to keep her from being hurt under his weight. She roped her arms carefully around his neck, entrusting herself to him.
He bit into her shoulder as if it were a sweet, hungrily devouring the very taste of her. "I can't believe I've gone this long without you..." he trailed off, moving his lips across her collarbone.
Brynn looked into his penetrating eyes. "Right now," she said, almost inaudibly, but he knew exactly what she'd said.
"Are you sure?" he asked nervously, still holding her as if she were a piece of delicate china.
She nodded, her eyes blinking up at him trustingly. He slowly, slowly pushed into her, as if she were doing this for the first time. He glanced at her, trying to see if she was in any way hurt.
"I'm fine," she whispered, clutching his shoulders a bit tighter as he slid completely inside her. "I'm fine. You're absolutely perfect."
He buried himself in Brynn's neck as he moved inside her. Brynn ached for him to be closer, and she wrapped her legs completely around his lower back. He groaned as she pushed him further inside her.
"I wish..." he trailed off, pausing for a low, throaty moan.
She brought a hand to his flushed cheek as they unanimously sighed with pleasure. "I love you so much," she cried, a tear slipping down her face.
"I love you too, Brynn. Don't cry now," he soothed, kissing her tears from her face. "I'm here."
She pushed her legs harder into his back, trying to bring him closer, while simultaneously bringing his face closer with her arms. "Don't leave me," she begged, looking up at him, her green eyes teeming with innocence.
"I won't," he promised, pushing further into her as she moaned into his toned shoulder.
They moaned and moved together as they always had before, each clinging to the other as they put their complications behind them for the moment. All they knew was the other at the moment, and Brynn cried and clawed until her voice was raspy and her lips were pulpy and sore. He spilled into her and she clawed him one final time, still clinging to him as he rolled away so as not to hurt her.
"I love you so much," he whispered, stroking her face gently, lovingly.
"I love you too," she answered, breaking into a genuine smile. And she honestly thought that loving him was enough to keep him with her forever.