Author's Note: I'd like to take this moment to thank Victoria Ennis for her work on this fic, and to send props to her for creating the intimate scene between Harry and Severus in this chapter. She's been such a help to me that I decided to give her a little piece of my story. Here's to you, love!

Chapter Two

Heartbroken

ONE

Severus left the hospital in a daze, his mind unable to accept that his beloved husband was dead. He entered the house, hung his cloak on the hook by the door, moved into the living room and waited for the familiar greeting he would never hear again. The silence in the house was nearly oppressive as he stood quietly; everywhere was an accumulation of two weeks of dust. It was so still that he could hear his heart breaking all over again, over this once happy home.

He moved to the kitchen, thinking he'd get something to drink, only to find the remnants of his ruined meal from the night Harry had been attacked. He absently began cleaning up the mess not thinking to use his wand as he did so. The task took his mind off of the pain of his situation as he mechanically began gathering the moldy dishes for cleaning.

He washed the soiled dishes in scalding water, hardly noticing the pain in his hands from the heat. After the dishes were clean, Severus moved to the stove with a damp rag in hand, intent on making the steel surface glow again. Once that was done, he moved to the magical pantry to check if the foods were spoiled. He was immediately overwhelmed by the scents of vegetables, magically preserved by the spells on the pantry, which reminded him of his lost love. Harry always had an earthy smell to him; a combination of the organic soaps he used and the time he spent in the garden planting and gathering their fresh ingredients. A memory came to him then of a time that was happy when it happened, but was now bitter in its ramifications.

"We could use this pantry for fresh ingredients," Harry suggested with a smile, running his hands over the wooden shelves in the large pantry of their new home.

Severus raised an eyebrow at his new husband's enthusiasm. "And I suppose you're going to go out every week and buy these ingredients?" he asked.

Harry's grin grew broader as he watched Severus. "Of course not, you snarky git. The yard out back will be perfect for a garden. I could harvest all of the herbs and vegetables for us."

"Ah yes. How could I forget your fascination with gardening?"

"It's not a 'fascination', Severus. Gardening relaxes me in its monotony. It's the one thing that can make the world seem to make sense."

Severus put his arms around his husband, kissing the top of his messy head. "Then, by all means, start your garden," he murmured.

The garden had taken his husband from him. The garden had ripped their happy home to shreds with its 'calming monotony'. An anger such as Severus had never known came over him then, burning through his veins in its intensity. He grabbed a glass jar off of the nearest shelf, hurling it through the open door of the pantry, relishing in the sounds of breaking glass as it shattered on the wall above the sink. He grabbed another jar, and another, hurling them through the kitchen, hardly noticing when the anguished tears began to fall from his eyes. He swiped another shelf, sending its contents flying to the floor in an avalanche of vegetables.

Severus looked at the destruction he had wrought on Harry beloved pantry. He was breathing heavily, finding that the mess didn't make him feel any better about his loss. He fisted his hands into his hair, screaming as loud as he could at the injustice of his situation, falling to his knees in misery. He began to sob harshly, his heart breaking with each new tear that fell from his eyes. He could hardly breathe with the intensity of his sobs, his lungs fighting for survival, his heart beating in a terrible rhythm of despair.

"Why?" he screamed to the empty house. "Why did you leave me? Oh gods, I can't do this! How could you leave me here alone? Oh gods, my Harry, come back to me! Come back to me, my love." His pleading grew quiet as his sobs died down in his chest. He knew he would never have his husband back, but rationality was nowhere in his thoughts as he begged the gods to give him his lover back. He felt terribly alone, kneeling in the pantry among the ruined jars of his husband's fateful hobby.

Several minutes later, Severus left the pantry, not bothering the repair the damage, walking into the living room to look through the many objects his Harry had adorned the room with. He stood near the mantle, looking at the pictures adorning it; pictures Harry had insisted on placing there, despite Severus' objections to the 'ridiculous Gryffindor sentimentality' of the action. Severus picked up one picture that was sitting at the left end of the mantle, stroking his thumb over the image of Harry's face. It was a Muggle photograph, capturing that one instant in time and freezing it forever.

"Please get in the picture with me," Harry asked again as he posed for the camera. He'd found a photographer who also did Muggle type photos for the job.

"I do not pose for pictures," Severus replied, eyeing the camera distastefully.

"I'm going to get you in a picture one of these days," Harry informed him.

"I highly doubt that," Severus said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Harry smiled sweetly at him, moving to wrap his husband in his arms. "I love you, you snarky git," he said.

"And I you, insufferable Gryffindor brat," Severus replied, bending to place a kiss on his husband's lips. Little did he know that Harry had planned this from the start, so while they were engaged in their kiss, the photographer snapped his picture. Severus turned to glare at the man. He turned his glare to Harry when he heard the light snicker issuing from the delectable mouth.

"What?" Harry asked, feigning innocence. "I told you I'd get you into a picture. Did you doubt my ingenuity?"

Severus rolled his eyes fondly. "Of course the one time you show ingenuity, you get one over on me."

Harry slapped his arm lightly. "You're going to pay for that later," he promised.

"I look forward to it," Severus replied.

Severus smiled at the memory, impressed at his ability to do so. His emotions seemed to have taken leave of his senses, running rampant without his permission. One moment he was crying his eyes out, an action he hadn't done in nearly thirty years, and the next he was smiling at a memory from long ago. The image of him and Harry locked together in a loving embrace made Severus long for what he knew he would never have again. Even if he wanted to find another lover, no one would ever come close to Harry. Harry was the love of his life, and he was gone.

Severus held the picture close to his chest as he moved absently up the stairs to enter his bedroom for the first time since returning home. He stopped short as he entered.

Harry had decorated this room, insisting that House rivalries would not be part of his household. The king-sized bed was covered with a royal blue comforter, concealing the pale blue sheets beneath. The walls were painted a pale cream color, accentuated by elegant, waist-high oak panels. All of the furniture was made of oak encompassing a dresser, the bed, an armoire and the doors of the closet and water closet. It was very subtle, and screamed of Harry's delicate sense of refinement. Another sob worked its way from Severus' chest as his eyes landed on the large dragon sculpture on the dresser; a trinket Harry had gotten to remember Hagrid by.

Severus turned swiftly, fleeing from the memories the sight of it elicited; memories of sleepless nights spent in heated embraces in the arms of the man he would forever love.

"What say we break in this room?" Harry asked, shedding his outer robe and throwing it on a chair by the window. "I'd love to see if my screams echo off of the walls in here."

Severus felt his body heat rise at the decidedly wicked statement, peeling off his own outer robes as quickly as he could without losing any dignity. "I believe I'd like to know that as well," he murmured, his husky whisper having an immediate effect on Harry.

He stalked toward his husband, pulling the petite beauty into a passionate embrace. He ran his tongue along Harry's bottom lip, eliciting a moan from his extremely responsive lover, and took advantage of the parted lips by pushing his tongue into that luscious warmth.

He let his tongue explore Harry's mouth, enjoying the sounds emanating from deep within the young man's throat. He gently maneuvered them, lowering Harry to the bed without ever breaking the kiss.

"I believe, Mr. Potter, that you are wearing far too many clothes," Severus whispered in Harry's ear, then taking the tempting earlobe into his mouth, drawing more moans from his husband.

"Then remove them," Harry replied, already working on Severus' buttons.

Harry tried to unbutton his husband's shirt, but the farther down he got down on the shirt, the slower he went until he stopped all together. Severus was far more enthusiastic than usual. Harry had to think of Aunt Petunia in lingerie and Uncle Vernon in a thong, or Professor McGonagall with her sagging boobs dusting the floor. Hell, even Aunt Marge getting pleasure from Ripper that no man can give, to keep from begging for Severus to hurry up!

After Severus had ripped the rest of Harry's shirt off, the buttons could be heard hitting the walls and furniture, he straddled him and grabbed the back of Harry's head, pulling him forward into a deep, passionate kiss.

SNIP! SNIP! EDITED FOR NC-17 CONTENT!

Severus leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down it as sobs erupted from his chest. He gripped the picture frame tightly as he cried, wishing that he could have saved his husband from such a terrible fate. He wished that Harry would have just listened to him and done his gardening during the day. He wished that he had gotten there sooner to save Harry from the werewolf, and then he cried harder, knowing that wishing for things that could never be was an exercise in futility.

"Oh gods, Harry!" he cried miserably. "Why did you leave me? WHY?" He sat against the wall for a long time, crying until his head was throbbing and his eyes felt sore. He sat there for nearly half an hour after the tears had stopped, staring blankly at the wall across from him. Finally, he sighed, standing up and moving back down the stairs. He went into the living room, laid on the couch and fell asleep, still clutching the picture to his chest.

Author's Note: Many thanks to…

Ktoddhim

Sliver of Melody

Shiemi Shimabukuro

LeeLeePotter: There are two more chapters after this one, but it doesn't get any happier.

Nicky12330

Severinah

Emerald-silver Serpent

Medicated Drama Queen

Strega: It's not quite the end yet, dear. It doesn't get any happier though, so be warned.