Chapter Five: Closer and Farther
It wasn't long before Lucille, Sirius and Buckbeak were back in the edge of the woods, the fire lit again. Lucille conjured a porcelain tub with clawed feet and hot running water out of the air, along with some fluffy pink towels and a loofah. She dutifully handed Sirius a washcloth a towel and the body wash.
"Go do your thing," she said primly. Sirius couldn't help it.
"I've forgotten how; care to help?" he asked roguishly. Lucille swatted at his arm.
"Yeah, it smells like it! Get going!"
"How rude. Fine then, don't look," Sirius said mockingly and with a flick of his new wand, he created a changing screen. Going behind it, he came out a minute later in a towel, and Lucille made a point not to glance at him…more than twice. For becoming very thin over the past twelve years, he still had a very strong muscular physic. Lucille waited until he was in the tub and made sure he scrubbed his fingernails and toenails. As he washed up, Lucille laid out Sirius's one and only outfit, scrutinizing it studiously. She wished she'd thought to get him a robe while they were in Hogsmeade, but oh well. She patched up what she could and tried to make the color a bit more vibrant, but they still looked like old worn gray robes.
"Scourgify," she said to clean the robs, and they were clean, if anything. Lucille turned to see Sirius with his head resting against the edge of the tub, staring at her.
"What now?" he asked boredly.
"Get dressed. I'm going to do your nails and hair now," she told him as she draped his clothes over the screen, handed him his towel, and turned around. As soon as Sirius had disappeared behind the screen, Lucille transfigured the tub into a chair with a sink behind it and manicure table in front of it, similar to one in a beauty parlor. Sirius came out from behind the screen, examining the cleaned, fixed, state of his robes.
"Thanks for patching this up, Lucille; really quite sweet ofwhat is that?" Sirius interrupted himself to regard the little makeshift beauty shop suspiciously.
I have to wash and cut your hair, and work on those nasty nails of your, and it probably wouldn't hurt to give your toes a once over too."
"Lucille! I'm going into hiding, not enter the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Escaped Convict Contest!" Sirius exploded at her. Lucille sighed.
"I know, Sirius; but wouldn't be nice to look as good as you did back at school? I mean, let's be honest," she said, a slow smile coming to her lips and batting her eyes once or twice, "I know I wouldn't mind seeing you that way again." Sirius's lips parted in slight surprise. Was Lucille actually flirting with him? She patted the back of the chair.
"Why don't you take a seat?" she suggested.
"Fine, but I'm only doing it so I'll look different from the wanted posters," Sirius told her stubbornly as he plunked into the chair. Lucille smiled. The wonders that stroking an ego can do.
"You know, in muggle beauty shops, the costumers gossip with the beauticians, so if you want to, you know, spill your guts, feel free," Lucille teased him as she began working on his nails.
"Right, and then I'll run and ask Snape to tea," Sirius snorted.
"You know, Snape isn't all that bad…once you give him a chance and get used to him," Lucille tried to defend.
"What? He terrorized you and your friends at school!"
"Well, I can forgive and forget."
"Why, do you like him or something?" Sirius asked quickly.
"Why, would you be jealous?" Lucille answered his question with a question coyly.
"I asked you first."
"I asked you second/
"Lucille, c'mon!"
"Oh fine then; no I don't like him. Now answer mine," she laughed, not figuring he would.
"Yes, I would be," Sirius answered nonchalantly. Lucille stopped pushing back his cuticles for a second to stare at him briefly.
"Oh." They were quiet.
"I'm honest; you can't hate me for that," Sirius said lightly, though he now wished he'd kept his mouth shut. They were starting to get along again.
Lucille felt very stupid for asking him now, she wished she hadn't. Staring at his hands as she worked on them, she blurted out the first thing she could think of.
"You've got really big hands."
"Well, you know what they say about guys with big hands," Sirius said playfully, wiggling his brows at her as he caught her eye. Lucille wanted to smack herself. Once again, she'd set herself up…
"I don't want to know," she said quickly.
"Are you sure," Sirius teased. "It's some 'handy' information." He laughed at the pun.
"Sod off, Black," Lucille answered irately.
"C'mon, you know you want to know," he coaxed her.
"Shut up!"
"You don't have to pretend you're not curious"
"Fine! Just tell me then, since it seems to be so damned important to you!" she yelled, letting go of his hands and shaking her hair behind her shoulder in aggravation. Sirius blinked at her.
"Big hands, big mittens. What's so bad about that? I thought it was obvious, really," Sirius said innocently. Lucille gaped at him as he smirked.
"Sirius?"
"Yes?"
"I really believe you are the most egregious bloody bastard I've ever met in my entire life."
"Thank you." They were completely silent until she was finished.
"Now look at your hands; they're much better," Lucille said appreciatively, holding his hands to admire her work. She dropped them, stood up, and transfigured the manicure table into a vanity with all sorts of hair products, straightentors, curlers and scissors all in shelves and special hooks. Sirius began squirming slightly.
"Do you really have to cut it?" he asked uneasily.
"Do you want to be recognized easily?" Lucille threatened.
"No," Sirius said dejectedly.
"Well then, sit still. You never wore your hair this long in school, anyway."
"You remember, how sweet," Sirius said sarcastically.
"Shut it, Black, and lean your head back." Sirius actually did what she told him to, and for a second, he kept his eyes open to meet hers. Thankfully he closed them, because Lucille didn't think she'd be able to concentrate with him staring at her so.
"That feels good," Sirius mumbled, enjoy her nails against his scalp. Unknown to him, Lucille blushed. When she was done washing his hair she came around him to get a pair of scissors and she heard him groan. She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and he quieted, sadly watching the chunks of hair fall from his shoulders. Twenty minutes later, Lucille turned the chair around so he could face her, and eyed his hair critically. Sirius was curious to see how he looked and the suspense was killing him.
"Are you done yet?" he asked boredly.
"Um, hold on," Lucille murmured, and gently brushed some hair around his face, her fingers grazing the sides of his face. She was surprised how nicely he'd cleaned up; she was actually seeing the boy she had been "hopelessly in love with" in third year. Sirius raised his brows at her approvingly and Lucille smiled shyly. He had it back for sure now. She held up a mirror for him.
"You like?" she asked eagerly. Sirius gazed at his reflection. He looked his appropriate age now, and she'd cut his hair the same way it'd been when he was younger; short, but still long enough to fall in his eyes romantically.
"Lucille, you could have gotten a job with some kind of cosmetologist center for muggle films." Lucille laughed.
"It's just a hobby." Sirius grabbed his money his money bag and dragged out ten galleons.
"Here, you deserve this," he said enthusiastically. But Lucille frowned at him.
"Don't you dare! You need that money to be able to run away," she scolded him.
"Great work shouldn't go unpaid," Sirius insisted. "And I definitely have enough to survive."
"Don't be silly, I'm not that good," she said modestly. "Besides, you can't exactly go running off to Gringotts every day for some pocket money. You need itnot me." Sirius smiled at her.
"So you're worried about me, and you're trying to take care of me…hmm, how very interesting," he replied teasingly. Lucille rolled her eyes.
"How so?" she asked, trying to feebly suppress her smile, but giving up quite quickly.
"I thought you hated my guts." Lucille sighed.
"I don't hate anyone. Besides, I care about people in general too much to knowingly let bad things happen to them."
"So I'm not special?" Sirius pouted. Lucille laughed.
"Of course you are, you're the first person to ever kidnap me, even if you do a bit rotten job of it," she teased. Sirius straightened the collar of his robes confidently.
"I bet if you didn't know I was a con, you'd go out with me," he said cockily.
"Watch it Sirius; your head's inflating at a rather alarming rate," Lucille giggled.
"Well, would you?" he persisted.
"Would I what?"
"Date me."
"No comment," Lucille answered, a small Mona Lisa-like smile coming to her lips.
"C'mon, who'll I tell?" he coaxed.
"I'm not telling you anything," she laughed.
"I knew it. You would," he said triumphantly.
"I never said if I would or not!"
You didn't have to. What you didn't say said a lot more." Lucille furrowed her brow at his haughty smirk.
"You're pretty conceited for a guy who is on the run from the ministry and Dementors," she told him, feeling annoyed.
"I am not conceited," Sirius huffed. It was his turn to narrow his brows and Lucile laughed.
"Yes you are, and you were at school, too," she answered.
"Well, don't I kind of have a reason though?" he joked, gesturing to himself.
"No."
"Aw, you could be a little softer on me; I had a bad home life as a child," Sirius said in a sad little boy voice, making puppy eyes.
"Really?" Sirius noticed that Lucille face had softened, and that her protuberant blue eyes had a sorry look in them, and decided to drop the act. He never used the "my mother hated me" card when he was trying to pick up a girl, and he didn't need to start now.
"Well, I guess, but I don't care. I hate 'em;I mean, I don't usually ever talk about my family. Especially to girls I'm…trying to pick up," he said sheepishly. Lucille laughed.
"I can't imagine hating my family. Why do you dislike them so?"
"They're just…not really my family, if you know what I mean," he said. Sirius stood up to wander around, then finally sat down under a large tree. He hoped Lucille would get the hint that he didn't want to talk about them. But Lucille followed him over and sat beside him.
"Are you adopted?" she asked curiously. She was confused. The Black family was well known for their pure-blood pride, and would never adopt for the chance of getting a muggle-born or a squib, or even worse, a muggle.
"No," Sirius said, smiling at Lucille's innocent curiosity. He sighed. "I wish I was. Everything would have been a lot easier."
"Why?" Sirius looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be interested in his family and his past.
"You really want to know?"
"Yes, I really want to know." Sirius paused.
"Well, it's pretty common knowledge that the Blacks are prejudice of muggles and muggle-borns. I can't care less. And that killed my family, that I wasn't properly proud of my pure heritage, and I took my roots and ancestors for granted. Especially since I was the oldest son, it was really shameful. The only one of my blood relatives I actually cared about is Alphard. Right after I left my house and started living with James, Alphard put quite a decent fortune in a vault in Gringotts in my name. I was able to get my own place, and my motorcycle. Sirius said fondly. "I loved that bike; it could"
"Fly, right?" Lucille grinned.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Well, when you took Stephanie Whitby for a ride, it left quite an impression." Lucille paused. "She was crazy about you, you know," she told Sirius quietly. She glanced away uneasily. "Cried for weeks and weeks when you barely gave her a second glance after…that." Sirius jaw fell.
"Steph Whitby?" he asked, almost in an angry tone. Lucille gave him a weird look.
"You're the one who was with her, don't give me that look," Lucille scoffed. "Can't remember her? Is your age catching up with you?"
"C'mon now, I'm only four years older than you," Sirius said, giving her a look that she smirked at. "Anyways, Steph Whitby…tall, skinny, brown hair, blue eyes?" Lucille nodded. Sirius laughed. "See, I remember. I can also remember some things that will surprise you, like that she was a year older than me, seventeen, and she was my first. And she made it the absolute worst experience of my life."
"What? How?" Lucille asked incredulously.
"Well, first off, we were in a seedy hotel, you know, the kind with tacky shag carpets and broken creaky beds." Lucille laughed. "Then, she was yelling at me the whole time we were…doing the deed. When I was going slow, it was too slow; when I was going fast, it was too fast, and she didn't want any foreplay. I honestly regret being with her. Especially for my first time." Sirius glanced at Lucille, who had a bit of perplexed look on her face. "What?"
"Well, it's not that I know from personal experience, because, um, I've never had sex before," Lucille started, blushing and examining her nails. Sirius grinned at her. "It's just, my friends usually complain about not enough foreplay. And she was complaining about you not wanting foreplay?" Sirius's grin became smaller as he drew his face closer to hers.
"Foreplay is the second best part, Lucy. Sometimes it's even as good as orgasmingif you're with the right person," he told her softly, his voice low and gravely. Lucille didn't even realize he called her Lucy. Her knees were so weak right now, she was glad they were sitting down.
"Have you…ever been with the right person?" Lucille asked shyly. Sirius gave her a slow smile, then rolled his playfully.
"No. It was James who said it was that wayhim and Lily, you know. I guess it's why I've been with so many girls; just wanted to find the right way. Funny how I've been with so many and haven't found her, and James was only with one and she was it. I guess that proves it's better to wait. You'll have less regret anyway," he told Lucille. "So you keep waiting, Luce. That way you'll know he's worth it." Their faces were very close now, and neither would tear their eyes away from the other's.
"So tell me about your last years at school," Sirius asked, pretending to move some stray hairs out of her face just to have an excuse to touch her.
"I turned fourteen in fourth year, fifteen in fifth, sixteen in sixth, and seventeen in seventh," Lucille laughed. "Other than that, what more is there to tell?"
"Well, you looked sixteen when you were thirteen, and you still look like a teenager today. So how many heartbreaks were you responsible for," Sirius teased, not taking his hand from her hair, which he was playing with between his fingers.
"I was quiet," Lucille said. "I didn't even think boys noticed me until you kidnapped me. I had a boyfriend or two, but as soon as they pressured me for anything I wasn't comfortable with, I was gone. I was very shy. Mary Jane Prewett was my best friend, and she had enough guts for the both of us. She was popular with everyone, and no one understood why she hung around with a book worm like me," Lucille told him thoughtfully.
"Tell me more."
"Like what?"
"Whatever. Anything. Everything."
"Okay." She paused. "I never worried about getting married, I was just so sure it would happen right after graduation, but here I am, twenty eight and alone. Really sucks, because there's nothing more I want than to be married and become a mother. I mean, I'm practically a mum to my sister Susan, she's only just thirteen, but I want a baby of my own. A sign that I created life though love with my husband." Lucille sighed. "That's true beauty." Sirius became pensive as he went over Lucille's words in his head. She was right. It would be truly awesome to see a life, a human, created by the love of two people who loved each other above all others. "After seeing hate destroy so many lives, it would be a pleasant change," he thought dryly. Suddenly for the first time in twelve years, Sirius felt sorry for himself for being unfairly jailed. He had missed out on living a life.
"I'd never thought about me having kids," Sirius admitted.
"What do you think of them now?" Lucille asked with her mysterious smile.
"I think I'd really want them. Dozens. As long as I could find the right person.
"Dozens?" Lucille laughed. "I doubt you'll find a woman willing to pop out dozens."
"I dunno. It's stupid really," Sirius said quickly.
"No, it's not, I'm just teasing."
"No. I don't want them really. I mean, it's hard work, and I'd have to be on the run constantly, so I'd be a dead beat dad, assuming I could actually find a bird to marry me. It's really better I'm not a dad. Lucky, really." He tried to sound unaffected and force a smile, but Sirius always had a problem doing and saying things he didn't mean.
"Maybe your name will be cleared," Lucille said, feeling horrible that he felt such hopelessness. Sirius snorted.
"I'll be eighty by then, and even if I wasn't I'd still have a hard time finding the right girl because of lingering Azkaban ambiance, and then if I get past that, I'll die before the kid is born, and I'd never even get to so much hold him. Or her," Sirius finished resignedly.
"Don't be so negative; you don't know what your future holds," Lucille told him gently. Sirius turned to face her, his face closer to hers again.
"I wish I did. Then I'd know whether or not to do what I want to do right now," Sirius said in a voice barely more than a whisper.
Lucille's hear was pounding so hard in her chest she was afraid Sirius could hear it This couldn't actually be happening, could it?
"What's that?" she managed to say.
"Conjure a grilled cheese sandwich," Sirius said pleasantly, turning away. "I haven't had one in agesand I'm very much craving one." Lucille couldn't believe her ears.
"Excuse me, what?"
"I want to conjure a grilled cheese sandwich," Sirius repeated, arching a brow and smirking at her. "What'd you think I was going to say?" He watched her face happily as it began to tinge pink.
"Idon't know," she ended bluntly.
"Oh, I see; you though I was going to kiss you," Sirius said gleefully.
"I didn't," Lucille responded instantly.
"You did. And I think you wanted me to pretty damn badly, too," Sirius added. Lucille stood up and glared at him, but he just grinned up at her.
"I never wanted nothing of the sort and how dare you accuse me of such a thing," she said stiffly, and turned and began to stomp off. Sirius jumped up after her, grabbed her hand, and swung her around into his arms.
"And I never thought that a McGonagall impression would actually turn me on," Sirius answered in a gravely voice. Lucille's eyes widened as they searched his dark grey ones, and before she even realized it, Sirius Black had pulled her close and was kissing her. He knees threatened to give away again, but Sirius must have felt it and only pulled her closer. The first kiss turned into two, then two into three, and then Lucille realized what she was doing and pushed Sirius away. He gave her a confused look.
"I thought you were enjoying that?" he asked bemusedly. Lucille slapped him in the face and Sirius blinked. "Well, never got that before," he started, but he was quickly interrupted.
"Who the Hell do you think you are, kissing me like that?" Lucille hissed angrily. Sirius's brows raised.
"I thought that's what you wanted."
"I didn't want it, thanks!"
"Well, you still need it. I never met someone who needed as much kissing as you," he retorted. Lucille gave him a disgusted look.
"And who made you the Grand Kisser?" Sirius laughed.
"I don't know, but I rather fancy the title. Besides, don't even say you didn't like it. You're glowing."
"I…I…I…." Lucille stutter. Sirius came towards her again
"Yes, I know, you hated it. Now if you don't mind, there's a girl in desperate need to be kissed often and properly, and by my power as the Grand Kisser, I must make sure it's done." Sirius wasted no more time pulling her in again. Lucille gave a small struggle, but it was not enough to convince either of them, so it was short lived. Sirius was doing things to her she never dreamed could be done by only kissing.
"Sirius," she whispered, letting the slightest moan escape from her mouth very much against her will. Without saying a word, Sirius scooped Lucille up into his arms.
"Tenadendia," he said, and a tent materialized one of the magic kinds with the house-like indoors, and carried Lucille inside. They continued kissing on the plush couch for quite sometime, until Lucille broke away from him.
"I think I'm ready," she said breathlessly, her face slightly flushed, and not only from all the kissing.
"Ready for what?" Sirius asked, hoping she wasn't going to ask for something he couldn't, wouldn't, give her.
"You know…you, and me…" she trailed off nervously. Sirius smiled.
"Not too long ago, you were yelling at me for kissing you," he said, trying to keep things light. He had an idea this was going to be a fragile situation.
"I was being stubborn. Can't we?" Sirius sighed and sat up, putting his head in his hands.
"No Lucy; I can't."
"Why? I'm ready, I swear!"
"No. You promised yourself you'd wait until you were married." Sirius didn't want her to get carried away and think she should lose her virginity to him when the future was so unclear. He didn't even have protection, anyway.
"Things change." She crawled close again.
"Some things shouldn't. You shouldn't change your morals for a one night stand." There was a deathly silence and Sirius felt her stiffen.
"If this is only for one night, why did you even bother kissing me at all?" Lucille asked coldly. She pulled away.
"Because that's what happens when you let your heart take over for your head; you don't think rationally!" he said heatedly. She probably thought he was going to use her now. "Bad word choice, mate," a voice said in the back of Sirius's head. "I forgot that I'll probably never see you after I take you back tomorrow, because kissing you seemed more important than either of our futures," Sirius explained. Lucille was shaking; with anger or tears, Sirius wasn't sure.
"Never. Speak. To. Me. Again," she said through gritted teeth, and in one fluid movement, swept herself up the stairs and into the first bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Sirius ran after her, nearly colliding with the banister.
"Lucy don't be mad, please," he called through the door.
"Don't call me Lucy you miserably bloody git!" she screamed through the door. Sirius blanched and anger rose up inside of him as well.
"Fine!" He yelled back. "Fine! See if I care, you insufferable spoiled prissy little brat!" He slammed his fist into a wall and stomped back down the stairs. He had no idea what to do. He'd thought he'd done the right, noble thing by not taking advantage of her. After he took her back tomorrow night, they'd never see each other againif he was lucky. He couldn't believe he'd ever found that tart attractive, but then again, he also couldn't believe he'd turned her down. Sirius flopped backwards onto the couch. When the hell did he stop carrying protection with him, constantly? And why? "Oh yes, that's right; forgot about Azkaban." Now he was forgetting about being in Azkaban because of the frustration Lucille was giving him. He wished he'd never kissed her. Hell, he wished he'd never taken her! What had possessed him to do such a thing? She was going back tomorrow night, no doubt about it. He would probably wind up turning himself in to the Dementors if she stayed with him any longer. Sirius stood up and paced back and forth, then walked to the bottom of the stairs.
"I hope you're happy!" he yelled up to her angrily.
