Dear readers,
that's the end of this story. Yes, I know I promised to write more chapters but while I wrote this one I thought it would be the perfect end. But before you start shouting at me please read the description under this chapter!!!
Sunny
Thanks a lot to my wonderful betas, saiyanwizardgurl and Duchess_of_Arcadia, for correcting my story and improving it.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
Chapter 13 – Happy End
Severus was still smiling stupidly when Poppy came back with Alastor.
"All goofy already, Severus!" Alastor said while shoving a chair beside Severus' bed. After he transfigured it in a more comfortable armchair, he said down on it.
Severus slowly faced Alastor and said dreamily, "Alastor? You came?"
"Of course I came, Severus. I can't let you stay alone with Albus and my wife, can I? They would cuddle you to death in your condition." Alastor said grumpily, while he removed his peg leg on a small pouffe he had summoned a minute before.
"What's wrong Alastor? Are you in pain?" Poppy was fussing over him.
"Merlin, wife, I'm not the one who you drugged all goofy, so stop the fussing!" he said grumpily but realizing the worried expression of his wife, he added, "It's just the weather, you know? I will put it up and that's it." He laid a calming hand over hers on his shoulder. "Didn't you want to speak with Minerva?"
"Minerva? My Minerva. Will she come?" A drowsy voice could be heard from the bed.
"Yes, she will come, but first you have to rest a while, Severus," Poppy said to the hopeful looking man in the bed.
She tightened her grip on Alastor's shoulder, leaned over to be near his ear and whispered, "Be careful what you say to him. You know him in this condition, don't you?"
"Yes, Poppy, I can remember perfectly well. And you know that I can manage it," he said to her while patting the hand she still rested on his shoulder. "You don't have to worry. Just go and speak with …," he paused and looked in Severus' direction, "Yeah just speak with her and then come back. I know it won't take you long and even if it does, I can handle it and don't forget that he asked me to be here."
"He is right, Poppy. You don't have to worry," Albus said softly while laying a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her away from Alastor. "I will accompany you on your way."
Minutes later Alastor and Severus were alone.
I hope he will just drowse for a while, Alastor thought when he saw that Severus was looking at the ceiling.
But his hope was destroyed when Severus said, "Why doesn't Albus enchant the ceiling here, too? It would be so nice to see the stars here."
"Normally the word nice isn't even in your vocabulary, Severus." Alastor said, grinning.
Severus turned on his side so that he could look at Alastor. "She is wonderful, isn't she?"
"Who?" Alastor asked, even when he already knew about whom he was speaking. Oh please, Severus, you don't want to speak with me about her. You will regret it when the potion loses its effect. But he also knew that Poppy said that it is good for Severus to speak about what ever worries him. He normally wouldn't speak about it and that eats him up from the inside. Sooner or later that leads to situations like the panic attack today.
"Minerva. She is so beautiful." Severus looked at Alastor with glassy eyes. "She kissed me. Me. Can you believe it? And it was so wonderful."
"I'm sure it was, my boy. You should tell her some time." Alastor said gently and when he saw that Severus wanted to start again with his babbling he stopped him by saying, "You should rest, Severus. Why don't you close your eyes and just sleep a while."
"Sleep? I'm not sleepy," Severus said and then looked thoughtfully at Alastor. "Does Poppy kiss you often?"
Alastor sighed and answered, "Sure she does. And I kiss her a lot, too. That's what couples do."
"Do you like it?" Severus asked with childlike curiosity.
"Severus, maybe we should speak about this later." Or better never. Albus would be a much better conversation partner for Severus in this discussion than me.
"You don't like it?" Severus looked shocked.
"Of course I do. I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it!" Remembering Poppy's words that Severus should speak about what is bothering him, he added, "Didn't you like it when Minerva kissed you?"
"I liked it a lot. She is so good… so nice… so beautiful."
Alastor couldn't suppress a grin. So that isn't the reason why he dumped her. He seems to be very much in love with her. So why is he torturing himself? But I can not speak with him about it directly. Only 'good' subjects are allowed while he is drugged.
"Poppy is nice, too!" Severus babbled along. "But it's another nice. You know?"
"Yes, yes I know, Severus."
The door of the hospital wing opened and Poppy and Minerva come in.
"Oh, this woman and her damn plans." Alastor said angrily and heaved his peg leg from the pouffe. He reached them when they were only a few metres away from Severus' bed. "What do you think you are doing, wife?" he spat angrily at Poppy while he blocked their way to Severus. "You can not let her speak with him in his condition."
"Alastor, don't be angry with Poppy!" Minerva said. "I convinced her to let me speak with Severus. I need to know why he wants to end our relationship."
"She is his nurse and therefore should know better. Severus wouldn't want you to see him like this," he tried to reason with Minerva.
Poppy thought it would be the best to be as far away as possible from her furious husband and went to Severus. The potion has been in his system long enough now that even if they did speak about a worrying subject, he could manage it. To be honest Poppy feared that Severus would never tell Minerva his true feelings. After her conversation with Minerva, she was sure that this was the only way the two could speak about it openly. She would have never thought that Minerva would think in just one minute that Severus would really want to end the relationship. She seems to be so much in love that she can't think rationally at the moment. Who would have thought that the stern Minerva would feel thatinsecure about something Severus said. She should know that he just tries to run away.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" she asked Severus and tried to distract him from the heated conversation between Minerva and Alastor by tucking him in again.
Severus forced himself to look at Poppy but still eyed the scene between the other two out of the corner of his eye. "Fine! Not sleepy!"
"You don't have to sleep, Severus," she said and smiled at him. So Alastor has tried to convince him to sleep so he wouldn't have to speak with him.
"Alastor mad at Minerva?" he asked, still not able to speak or think clearly because of the potion.
"No, he isn't. Don't worry." With that she looked a little worriedly at the other two.
Alastor meanwhile tried to convince Minerva to come back later. "Minerva, what if he is that embarrassed about what he said to you while under the drug that he won't speak with you after it? Do you want to risk this?"
"Poppy says the first thirty minutes are the critical ones. They are over already. You know him, he won't tell me the truth when I speak with him later. Now is my only chance to speak with him and hear what he really thinks. Isn't that the purpose of the whole drug? Please I need to speak with him, Alastor. I have to know if he really wants to end it all or if he's just trying to push me away because he is scared about it all, like Poppy says," she tried desperately to convince Alastor.
"Minerva? Come to speak with me?" the drowsy voice of Severus could be heard from the bed.
Alastor sighed in despair because he knew that he had lost the battle. At least I tried, Severus.
"Severus, lay down again," Poppy said sternly while she already was struggling with him.
The moment Alastor had turned to see what happened in the bed; Minerva used her chance and strode over to Severus.
"Yes, I'm here to see you Severus," she said calmly to him and helped Poppy to manoeuvre him into a lying position.
"Not mad at me?" he asked worriedly and looked at her with frightened eyes.
She sighed and softly said, "No Severus, I'm not mad. I love you." She tenderly stroked his cheek and felt the wizard relax under her ministration.
"Love you, too." He mumbled sleepily and then sighed as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest. He smiled satisfied, relaxed in Minerva's ministration and fell asleep.
"So much of having a conversation," Minerva said, chuckling.
"It seems that was bothering him a lot. You just gave him some peace, Min." Poppy said. "It's good for him to sleep, now. You can speak with him later."
"I will stay if it is okay with you two." She looked from Poppy to Alastor, who still was looking a little angry at them.
"Of course, it is," she said in Minerva's direction and then turn to Alastor. "It was for his own good that she spoke with him. Look how peacefully he is sleeping now." She said while she laid a calming hand on his chest.
"You couldn't know that it would be like this before, Poppy," he said grumpily but it was obvious that he had calmed down.
"My experience as a nurse let me know it, Alastor. I wouldn't do anything which isn't good for him. Something about Minerva was bothering him so much that he lost himself in a panic attack. Obviously he was very concerned that she was angry with him and that he wouldn't be able to speak with her to solve the problem. Now he knows that she is there for him and that she will still speak to him."
He sighed and shook his head. "You always have an excuse for your risky methods."
"Let's go in my office. You can scold me there if you'll feel better by doing it, but you can't deny that it was finally a good idea. He hasn't slept that peacefully for ages." She looked shyly deep into his eyes because she knew he couldn't resist this look. And it worked again. "I love when you go in your 'all protective' mode about Severus."
He groaned grumpily and rolled his eyes. With one last glance at Minerva and then at the sleeping Severus, he let Poppy lead him to her office.
Minerva sat in the armchair and looked longingly at Severus. I could watch him sleeping so peacefully for hours and it wouldn't bore me.
_______________
He woke up an hour and a half later. He blinked to get used to the bright light.
"I thought you would never wake up again, Severus." Minerva said, smiling. She stood up from her armchair and sat down on the bed at Severus' side.
"Minerva?" he said while trying to wake up completely. Slowly the memories of the last hours came back. He covered his face with his hands and desperately said, "Oh, Minerva, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay Severus but never say something like that to me again. I love you because of many things but not out of pity."
He lowered his hands and looked at her. "You never let me finish speaking Minerva. I just wanted to know why you wanted this relationship and yes, I considered the possibility that you did it out of pity or because you wanted to take better care for me. I can not see any reason why someone like you could want someone like me. I have nothing to offer you."
She sighed and took one of his hands in hers. "Severus you are intelligent, funny…," he raised a questioned eyebrow at that, "yes you are, in your own way. I enjoy our bickering a lot." She smiled at him while he rolled his eyes. "You enjoy a glass of wine and classical music as much as I do; you love Quidditch; you…"
He raised his free hand to stop her and said, "Yes, yes I got it, Minerva."
"Oh but I didn't tell you the most important one until now, Severus."
He had blushed throughout her monologue and wished she would stop before it would become too embarrassing. He sighed and asked, "And that is?"
"Your heart, Severus," she said honestly.
"How cliché, Minerva. A simple 'because you are intelligent' would have made it," he said.
"Too bad the potion lost its effect. I really liked the soft and drowsy Severus," she said mockingly.
He glared at her and replied, "Then just keep him in your mind because you will never see him again. I would rather die than let this woman drug me again."
"Speaking of yourself in the third person isn't a good sign. Maybe I should call for Poppy," she said cheekily but when she saw his shocked face which turned in the direction of Poppy's office, she chuckled and said, "No worries, Severus. It was just a joke." With that she leaned over and kissed him. She had intended to just let it be one of the quick kisses they had shared lately but Severus seemed to have a different opinion.
He had grabbed her neck and held her in place while he intensified the kiss.
Minerva was surprised but positively surprised. When she had survived the first shock of him grabbing her neck, she gave into his demanding kiss and even a soft moan escaped her throat.
After what seemed an eternity he loosened his grip and ended the kiss. "I love you, Minerva".
"And I love you, Severus!"
Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, I will end the story "Taking Care" with this chapter. But "Taking Care" will become a series now. That means I plan to write at least 2 sequels. "Christmas at Hogwarts" and "The Potions Assistant".
"Christmas at Hogwarts" is already up now! Please check it out!