Severus was torn.

One the one hand his life was the best he could ever remember it being.

He had a beautiful witch, who was fierce and smart. She challenged him intellectually, and entertained him immensely as well as caring for him dutifully. On top of that, she warmed his heart and his bed every night.

He also had her son. A young boy, who was decidedly not a dunderhead, nor was he afraid of him. And despite the fact he was Weasley's progeny, he Idolised Severus and looked at him like he was Merlin himself.

They had a 'home' if one could call the rail house that, but it was a safe place to rest his head. Which was more than could be said for the house he grew up in. It was a place that provided food, shelter, safety and comfort.

Then why was he torn? Because he felt guilty for being happy. It was the 'end of the world', and he was thinking how happy he was playing 'house'. It felt like it was wrong for him to be so happy, so content, when the rest of the world had gone to shit.

It goaded on him for so long, Hermione had finally snapped and asked what was wrong with him. She'd been tearful and he realised his brooding must have come across as unhappiness to her. She'd been afraid he was unhappy, maybe even wanting to leave. He told her, confided in her, his reservations, his feelings about the state of the world.

"Fuck the world"

Was her emphatic answer, and he reeled back as if she'd physically struck him.

"Seriously Severus, what the fuck has the world ever done for us? We both spent the best part of our lives before all this happened fighting evil in its various forms, along with all the other shit that got thrown at us. Well this is just another shitty thing we have to fight, but now you want to be guilty because in between all the bouts of madness you've found a way to be happy? No. Fuck that. Who knows when life's going to shit on us again, we need to enjoy it while we can."

And that was the end of it. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her for so long they were both gasping at the end and Sam started giggling at them, which turned into raucous laughter when Severus growled and grabbed him and swung him upside down by his legs, and Hermione tickled the small boy in his grasp.

oOo

Hermione and Severus still hadn't had sex, but every night they were closer and closer. Each night they would kiss passionately and bring each other pleasure. She was eager to please him and would happily take him in her mouth or her hand and bring him to climax, and she enjoyed when he put his hands on her and stroked her to orgasm, though she still had not allowed him any further than that.

He ached for her. Physically ached for her, as he felt her beautiful body pressed into him, but emotionally as well. He longed to complete their connection, to be one with her. But he was no bastard, she obviously had her reasons for holding back on physical intimacy and he would not force her, though he couldn't help it if every night he held her a little tighter than before.

They travelled to the village for supplies when they needed to, each time they went a little further in. Much to Sam's delight they discovered a small playground, and after Severus tested everything to make sure it was safe, they spent some time there pushing the boy on the swings or watching him on the slide. The slide itself was safe, but the stairs were wood and had rotted away, so after each slide down he would run back to Severus smiling with arms outstretched and Severus picked him up and placed him back at the top.

It was on one of these trips they found a small store, the village was a small one and by the state of it, it looks like the infected had overcome it pretty quickly. They'd been unprepared, and so most of the buildings they'd come to had been mostly intact. They had been take by surprise, and so there had been no time for panic and looting.

Severus had found a shelf of children's toys and books and pulled them down, tasking Sam with the very important job of choosing the ones he liked the look of and putting them in his small bag. Hermione was going through the medical supplies, taking a few of each as It was unwise to hoard everything in one space. It was better to leave some here, in case for whatever reason they had to flee the rail-house, they would not want to leave behind all the supplies, so they only took what they needed and a few spares, then stashed the rest behind a shelf, knowing there was more here to come back to.

It was during this supply run that Severus found her contemplating a box in her hand, and he walked over to her. She blushed when he caught her gaze, and looked away shyly but didn't stop what she was doing.

Condoms. She was looking at condoms.

He gave her a heated look and she blushed prettily, then went to stuff the box in her bag with a look of embarrassment. Grabbing her hand he stopped her, taking the box off of her and putting it back on the shelf. She gave him a questioning, almost hurt look, until he smirked and reached onto the shelf and passed her a another box. Condoms, though the next size up from the ones she'd picked up. He quirked his eyebrow at her and her face flamed, as she stuffed them quickly into her bag, then after a moments thought grabbed another box and shoved them in too. He chuckled at that but couldn't help laughing when she also shoved some waxing strips and razors in her bag.

She shot him a glare then and threw a men's deodorant at his head, with a smirk of her own and he only chuckled. Until he saw the brand of deodorant she'd thrown at him. Old Spice. She quirked her eyebrow at him and he scowled at her.

Then with a smirk he threw a bottle of conditioner in the bag, not so subtly running his fingers through his hair.

She scowled, but then her lips quirked into a grin.

The war was on.

Walking backwards a few steps, she threw a men's razor in. And stroked her chin.

He smiled ruefully at that as he moved towards her, fair point he conceded, he was rocking the Grizzly Adams look a bit recently.

Another step and he threw a women's deodorant at her and she chuckled, she actually tossed it back and got a better one.

She threw a box of black hair dye at him with a smirk, he had the odd grey now but so did she, stress did that to you, mind you it was only him that vainly attempted to pluck the odd greys from his raven locks with a scowl.

Closer he got to her and he grabbed a bottle of tablets. They were women's herbal ones, and said they alleviated PMS symptoms.

She snorted, but conceded the point, she was scary when she was pms-ing.

Her back had pressed up against the wall and she tossed a packet at him with a teasing smile.

He took one look at the packet in his hands and threw it on the floor with a growl, as he pinned her to the wall with his kiss.

"As if I'd ever need stamina enhancers with you witch" He snarled into her ear "I can barely keep my hands off you"

They kissed hard and fast, her hand fisted in the back of his hair, but he suddenly stopped and broke the kiss when he heard a strange noise.

Pulling away from her he paused and looked at her.

"Hermione, what was-"

But he didn't get to finish, as a second after he took in the cheeky grin she was sporting, her other hand came up and slapped his cheek. Only it was filled with shaving foam.

He was so shocked he didn't know what to do for a moment, until he saw her laughing so hard she could barely stand up, then he quickly grabbed a tin shoved it under her shirt and squeezed.

She squeaked out as the cold spray coated her, and jerked back from his embrace, lifting her shirt to see what he'd done.

Glitter. It was children's glitter hairspray, and she was coated in the sparkly stuff.

She was about to pounce on him when suddenly something hit the side of her face with a wet splat, before it hit the floor.

They both turned to see Sam laughing harder than they'd ever seen him as Hermione brought her hands to her sticky cheek.

Severus took one laugh at her and started chortling so loud he had to sit down. Sam crawled into his lap and they both couldn't stop laughing at the shell-shocked Hermione, who eventually gave in to her own laughter and ended up sat on the floor with the two of them.

The boy had pelted her with 'Slime', a children's toy it was a tube of gelatinous colourful gloop that served no purpose other than being dreadfully sticky and slimy, but years old as it was, it had fallen to pieces when it impacted her face and she was coated in the stuff.

Hermione grabbed a handful of the slime from her shirt and threw it at Sam who tried to dodge it, but was met with a handful of foam that Severus had wiped off his face.

And there the three of them sat, in the derelict and abandoned shop, smiling and laughing at each other's expense.