Chapter Twenty-Six: A Well-Earned Rest

Emily awoke to the feathery tickle of a fingertip tracing languid patterns on her stomach, and forced herself to lie still, trying to ascertain what Severus was doing before she alerted him to the fact that she was awake. The single digit was joined by others now as his hand flattened and smoothed over her thighs, returning to her belly now with a slight tightening of the fingers, a gentle caress. A delicate touch across downy hairs forced a giggle from her and the movement stopped at once.

It was pure bliss, opening her eyes to the sight of the man she loved looking down on her with a tender smile, his pale skin almost glowing in the soft sunlight that filtered through the window high above. She returned the smile in silence, not wanting to break the tranquil mood, and he brought his mouth to hers in a kiss as silky as his voice, his hair, his skin.

Sweet Merlin, he was perfect. Better than she'd dared to dream. And finally, finally, he was hers.

"I hated to wake you," he whispered.

"You can wake me like that any time you like, Professor."

He chuckled lightly at her use of his professional title. "We really must be going."

A swift tug brought the blanket sailing over her head. "Oh, not for that, though," she whined. "Can't we just stay here for a few more hours?" A wandering hand snaked down his body to rest on his inevitable morning condition. "See? He wants to stay."

"Emily Grey," he scolded lightly, removing her hand from his manhood and the blanket from her face. "It's difficult to believe that a scant eight hours ago you were a blushing virgin."

"But, so much has happened since then. I can blush if you like, though," she laughed, rolling them over until he was pinned beneath. "I'll even be on top if you're too tired to..."

"That's quite enough," he chided, a bit more seriously this time. "Now, get out of this..."A soft pop announced the appearance of breakfast. Severus rolled his eyes at her grin. "Alright, but after breakfast, we are up," he finished sternly "Understand?"

"Yes, Professor," she answered in a singsong voice.

"And, stop calling me that," he scolded, his voice completely devoid of its usual ire. "Honestly, I think I preferred 'Sev.' "

"How about Sevvie?"

A warning glare stopped her before she could suggest 'Sevvikins', and she turned her attention to her tray without another word.

The silence lasted through a single plum. "So, what are you going to tell the Headmaster?"

"Everything," he answered in his typical offhand manner.

"Even about Solstice?" she asked, completely taken aback.

"Of course not." He paused for a sip of coffee. "He would be furious with both of us."

She couldn't help the excited giggle that escaped. Too much love, not enough sleep, Emily. At some point, you're going to have to get some rest. Offhandedly , she found herself hoping, for the sake of her own health, that making love four times in a singe night would not be a common practice... even if it had been the most delightful night of her entire life.

Severus was an astounding lover. There was no way to calculate how many times he had pleased her since that first unbelievable moment when she'd shattered beneath his tongue. Like everything else in his life, Severus had obviously insisted on perfection of his knowledge of a woman's body and how it responded. Whatever she'd heard about how frightening, how breathtaking, how magical it could be, nothing even came close to describing the way she'd felt when he first joined his body with hers. For the first time in her life, there was wholeness and peace. And, now that she'd had them, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that living without them was no longer an option. She would do anything, be anyone, join any cause to remain at his side... and woe be to anyone who tried to come between them.

"This is just like our old school days," she mused, biting into a slice of apple.

He turned a surprised scowl in her direction. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know, fooling the Headmaster, covering our tracks." A soft elbow to his arm did nothing to lighten the scowl.

"Perhaps multiplied by several million," he snapped incredulously.

She answered with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "No need to get testy. I was only making an observation."

"This is a war, Emily, not some childhood prank."

"Alright, alright... This is a war, lives are at stake," she chanted in a bored tone, then laughed abruptly. "I love you so much, Severus, and I'm happier than I've ever been just being here with you. I simply can't care about much else right now."

He smiled softly as his fork came to rest on his plate. "Then, care enough for me to give this situation the consideration it merits."

She sighed heavily. "For you, love, anything."

"I appreciate your seeing me on such short notice, Headmaster," Severus intoned stiffly, clearly uncomfortable under the older wizard's questioning gaze.

It was obvious that he knew, through his damnably powerful insight, what had happened between them and was not about to extend congratulations on their newfound love. His reticence to wish them joy and leave it at that brought a bright blaze of fury to Emily's heart. Well, sod on your happiness too, you sanctimonious bastard. It's none of your business, anyway.

A piercing blue gaze turned on her.

"You heard me," she bit out, sliding into her seat with a very unfriendly glare for the elder wizard.

"Emily," Severus warned quietly, in that tone that brooked no argument. It silenced her immediately and brought Dumbledore's gaze back around to Snape.

"You have news?" he asked, his tone betraying nothing but interest.

Severus was never one to beat about the bush. "Professor Corrigan is alive," he stated bluntly. "And with the enemy."

Albus closed his eyes against the news and crumpled back into his chair. Suddenly, he looked much, much older and Emily's heart, against her will, felt a sharp stab of pain for his sake.

"I had dared to hope that she was dead," Dumbledore continued sadly. "That is what this war has done to my ethics." He slid his half-moon spectacles from his nose and began wiping them absently on his sleeve. A decidedly muggle gesture, Emily thought wryly. That's actually rather sweet.

"Preferring to see our Runes Instructor dead rather than in the Dark Lord's thrall is hardly a reprehensible sentiment," Severus returned. "At least we know now who desecrated the school."

Dumbledore replaced his spectacles and brought his attention to his hands. "How could this happen? I had every confidence in her loyalty."

"Malfoy," Snape stated blankly. At Dumbledore's raised brow, he continued. "Seduced her."

"Ah," Albus answered with a sad shake of his head. " Lust is a powerful medium. Leave it to Voldemort and his minions to subvert something so good and pure. From whom did you discover this?"

"Again, Malfoy."

A silver eyebrow raised, prompting Severus to continue the tale.

He spun the web with practiced ease, weaving a wealth of truth with the occasional exclusion of detail or embellished fact, and in the end Emily had a difficult time not believing his version of events, which was basically the same with the exception of the events of Solstice, the time at which various events occurred and, much to Emily's delight, the fact that she had initially planned to follow Malfoy's order. In Severus' version of events, she came straight to him with the truth and asked him for help. That was when they formulated the plan for trapping Lucius.

In the end, Dumbledore sat with his fingers steepled together on the ancient desk and contemplated them both. His eyes were guarded, almost wary as his gaze moved between a very nervous Emily and a completely unruffled Severus. Then, wearily, he spoke.

"As much as I dread your answer, Severus, you know that I must ask you how you obtained this information from a wizard as powerful as Lucius Malfoy." He sighed deeply and eyed the potions master over his spectacles. "And how you came to be unconcerned enough about his knowledge of your position to release him."

Severus never batted an eye. "I did what I had to do, Headmaster. As always."

Albus sat back heavily. "Oh, Severus," he murmured, his voice quiet, but thick with dread. For a moment, he pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked up at Emily. "I believe that Molly will have breakfast ready by now, Miss Grey. Perhaps, you would excuse us while we discuss..."

"I'm not leaving," she asserted flatly.

Blue eyes steeled. "I would prefer that you do, child."

"I'm not a child," she answered angrily, "and you have no right to criticize Severus for doing what he had to do. Just because your too damn noble to..." She suddenly found herself arguing with a roomful of surprised-looking strangers.

"Morning, Em," Remus greeted cheerfully from the end of the long table. "No longer part of the meeting, are we?" he asked with a small chuckle. "Oh, don't look so angry. He's done the same to me on occasion."

"And me," piped an agreeable voice from the other end.

The source of this one was harder to locate, buried as he was in a sea of hair as red as his own. He was a pleasant-faced gentleman, obviously father to the swarm of children with whom he was surrounded. Two stood out among them, though, a lovely young woman with long brown locks and a dark-haired and shyly handsome young man who had stared openly at her since her abrupt arrival.

Ah, well, she thought, hardly surprising. I'd stare at me, too.

"Morning, Remus," she greeted over the heads of the children, trying to look less put out than she felt. Then, noticing the woman at the stove - Gods, was she always cooking? - gave a brief nod and a smile. "Morning, Mrs. Weasley."

"Good morning, dear," Molly answered cheerily. "Remus, would you mind introducing everyone while I put something on for Emily? That's a dear."

"Oh, no, really, I'm quite alright," she began, but the protests went unheard as Remus began calling out names and she began extending her hand out of habit.

The red-haired children were all Weasleys as she guessed, and greeted her politely - all except the middle child, Ron, who gave her a reserved nod and a mere touch of his hand as if he were afraid she might somehow taint him. She was tempted to run a hand through her hair, allowing her sleeve to fall back and reveal the Dark Mark just to get a rise out of him, then suddenly realized that she was no longer a child. It was the first time she'd ever known her age to be a disappointment. With maturity that she hoped would've made Severus proud, she merely smiled politely and turned to greet the wildly grinning twins.

After that came Hermione, a girl with a warm smile and a wealth of intelligence in her eyes and lastly, Harry Potter, who extended his hand with a proudly-lifted chin as if he were bravely greeting death itself. Oh, the little savior's a bit full of himself, isn't he, she thought, recalling what Severus had told her about The Boy Who Lived. Remus had tried to paint a completely different picture of James Potter's son, but she knew better. The same arrogance was there, the same disdain for whomever he considered a lower life form - like Severus, or 'Snape', as the insolent little bastard chose to call him. But, never to his face. Oh, Merlin, no. The little Gryffindor's not brave enough for that. Better to hurl insults behind his back, never seeking to understand, never showing proper gratitude for the agony Sev had suffered to better serve Dumbledore's pet cause. Oh, yes indeed, she thought with well-concealed fury as he subtly wiped his hand on his robes, little Harry is certainly his father's son.

Breakfast was uneventful, everyone talking and laughing merrily, all except Harry and his brainless sidekick who chose to spend the rest of the meal talking with heads together in hushed tones while eyeing her suspiciously.

Potty little brats.

"Could we see it?" came a whispered question from her left, one of the Weasley twins; it was impossible to tell which. "You know," he prompted at her puzzled glance, "The Mark."

She wished that the request had caught her off-guard, but it was all too easy to recall how curious she'd been at that age. She was actually surprised that they'd waited long enough for the attention of the other adults to be focused elsewhere. There was a bit of Slytherin in these boys, and she found that she immediately liked them for it. She smiled broadly and gave a subtle nod, moving her arm under the table and lifting the sleeve.

They were struck dumb for just a moment, then, "Wicked. You really were one."

"I really am one," she corrected lightly, returning her now-covered arm to its original position. "One doesn't simply retire from his service."

"So, will you become a spy?" asked one.

"Like Snape?" added the other without a second's pause.

She hesitated, wanting to correct their use of his surname, but it seemed harmless enough. They obviously used it out of habit rather than derision, and she had no desire whatsoever to sound like the uptight grown-up. "I'm really not sure," she answered hesitantly. "We haven't discussed it. Right now, I'm just concentrating on staying alive long enough to deal with the problem at the school. Speaking of which," she added, standing as a slightly angry-looking Severus entered with Dumbledore on his heel and the greetings began all over.

She was at his side in an instant.

"Are you alright, love?" she asked anxiously.

He gave a tight nod that drew the blood to her face. Obviously Dumbledore had not been overly-charitable about Sev's methods of persuasion with Malfoy. How dare he question anything Sev had done? An everlasting curse on these excessively-noble, tight-arsed...

"I have to leave for a time," he said tersely.

"What do you mean 'for a time?'"

"Precisely that," he returned. "Dumbledore has insisted that we take the next two days to rest, and if I wish to spend them with you in peace, then there is something that I must attend to immediately." With that, he took her by the arm and drew her quietly from the room. Once out of eyesight, his demeanor changed entirely, smiling down at her as they walked to the door.

"Dumbledore will want a word with you soon, and then you may spend your time as you like. I do not anticipate this taking very long at all." He paused, a bemused expression on his face. "Perhaps you'd care to have Italian for dinner?"

She smiled roguishly. "In Italy?"

He nodded, just a hint of a playful grin at the corners of his mouth. "Naturally."

"Alright, that's a fair exchange," she relented with a light laugh. "But, don't keep me waiting too long. Some other handsome rogue may came along and steal me away."

With that, he seized her about the waist and pulled her roughly to him, claiming her mouth with a furiously possessive kiss. "Said rogue would risk your lover's wrath," he growled softly. "Not a very wise man."

That got a laugh, and she buried her face in his robes to stifle the sound she knew he wouldn't want to travel. Heaven forefend his students ever discover that he had either charm or wit.

In time, her mirth subsided and she allowed him to direct her gaze back to his with a cool, calloused hand. "There is one more point of business between us, Emily, before I go."

Calmly, he reached into his robes, found one of the many hidden pockets, drew out a very familiar object, and held it up before her. Slowly, she slid it from his fingers with a hand that suddenly wouldn't remain still.

Thirteen inches. Yew. That same spark of belonging, of destiny, when she curled her fingers around it. No doubt whatsoever. It was her wand.

"Mab's heart, Sev," she breathed, hardly able to believe her eyes. "You said you destroyed it."

With a sarcastic smirk he turned on his heel and gracefully swept through the door, black cape billowing behind. Before the heavy oak came to a close, though, she heard the faint sound of his velvet voice saying, "my mistake," then the sharp crack that announced his exit.

Lady Jenilyn: Oh, you read those, too? I haven't bought one of those in a long time. Maybe I'll indulge next week. Unfortunately, I didn't get to act this one out with The Loaf. I'm proud to say that he did not help in any way. This came from my own limited knowledge of what guys - well guys with any sensitivity (read, men) - feel when they're with a woman they care for. A few of the sentiments, though, came from my first experience with a woman. She treated me very much the way the way Severus treats Emily here. Every woman deserves that. My first time with a man was the exact opposite. I'll spare you the gory details of that nightmare. I was extremely nervous about the scene and am thrilled that it came over well. I think we both agree about Dumbledore sending Sev off to do his dirty work. Grr! I love that things are still up in the air with your story. As much as I like Lupin, I just don't see the Lupin/Miriel thing happening. And, for Merlin's sake don't ever, ever piss off Lucius! Bad, bad idea!

cadpig: Oh, joy! I'm so happy I made you sweat. Hurray for me! And, yes, reading a love scene at work has to be uncomfortable! Thanks for the good word, though. Hope to hear from you again.

Elessar Evenstar: Speechless! Wow! Thanks. Glad your patience finally paid off.

Sev lover: You know, that is exactly what I like about writing Sev's character. He can be damn near invincible. And, when something does get to him, it's huge! Something like that is coming up, by the way, just between us. I'm glad you enjoyed the steamy scene.

Dianatyne: I'm not sure if knowing that my love scene was better than work and the elections is in any way good news. Thank you for the compliment on it's being tasteful. I'm not overly fond of the really over-the-top scenes that use common street slang to describe things. That just doesn't feel right, not for me. No, this isn't the end, love. It's so touching that you want the story to continue. We're about three quarters of the way to the end. Still quite a way to go, and I hope you stick with me.

Captain Oblivious!: Whoa! Hey! I'm reading some offense in there with the shock and the blinks. I'm so, so, sososososo sorry if the scene offended you. I would have written it anyway because it's an integral part of the story and I adore the idea of making to love to Sev... or Emily for that matter. But, had I known that it would bother you, I would've put a warning label on it or something. Really, really sorry I upset you and I hope you don't stop reading. I've really become rather attached to you, you epic reviewer, you. I won't get into what Severus went through in bending Lucius to his will, but I have alluded to some of the things he was forced to do (in the beginning of this chapter) and will give a few more indications in upcoming chapters. Fact is, Sev took him by surprise and that is the only way to get the better of a man like Lucius. Don't forget that, even though he's turned away from the darkness, Sev is still a bad ass in his own right. I'm really sorry about your cold, love. Hope you get better soon.

Queen of the faeries: I have no idea, sweetie, the difference between the two. Someone explained it to me once and I got it for the moment, but lost it just as quickly because it didn't make much sense. It was a bit awkward in the beginning, I agree. I had a hell of time trying to convey what he was thinking without filling up the scene with dialog. Gods, I hate it when two characters babble all the way through a love scene! Drives me up the frickin' wall! Anyway, it's clearly something I'll need to work on. Ooohh.. a cookie? I LOVE cookies! Is it a fresh-baked peanut butter cookie still warm from the oven?

Sesshomaru's Angel: Then, I'll keep my fingers crossed that someone wonderful comes along who befriends you with his wit and creativity and then sweeps you off your feet when he tells that he's madly in love with you because of all the qualities that most people, even your closest friends, find annoying. That's what happened to me, but I had to go through a lot of frogs to get my prince. I hope your journey will be smoother. Oh, and I'm glad you liked the chapter.

Asha ice: Oh, yes. Evil to the core, but I'm glad to have you anyway.