A/N: Well, it seems the long break between the last two updates hasn't scared everyone away. I have been working on this fic all day and hope to have it finished this weekend. The next part after this will be the final one. I hope this super-fast update helps to make up a little for the long wait on the last chapter.

Revelations

Rowena wasted no time in persuading the two men to move from the campsite to a place with a roof, beds and all the modern amenities. It only took two hours of subtle hinting and complaining before they were checking into another inn.

"Two rooms," Salazar requested.

Rowena's smirk soon vanished with the realisation that Salazar intended to share with Godric. She should have guessed, and cursed beneath her breath when she realised that it would actually hinder her progress even more than separate rooms had.

"Do you realise we're not more than five miles from Helga's?" Godric commented. "Why don't we go visit her?"

Rowena looked around the room and realised that she recognised the inn as a place she had visited before. She also recognised the innkeeper as one who had looked down his nose at her on several occasions. "Splendid idea," she replied to Godric. "The Hufflepuff house has lots of room and Helga won't mind putting us up for a day or two." Privately, she added to herself that Helga had more than enough rooms so that Salazar and Godric didn't have to share.

Salazar didn't offer much resistance and before too long they were on Helga's doorstep, bearing gifts – lunch in the form of several large fish that Godric had caught before they had found him – and plenty of gossip.

"What are you doing back here so soon?" Helga asked in surprise when she opened the door.

"It's been nearly a month," Rowena pointed out. "I really missed you."

"I thought I was getting in the way of your amorous quest?"

Salazar laughed as Rowena flushed. "You were never in the way," he assured her with a smile. "I had business to attend to elsewhere and Rowena was determined not to leave my side."

"So, are you back permanently?" Helga asked. "You know I have plenty of room for you both."

"We'll see," Salazar said and they all moved inside, before the threatening rain began to fall.

-o-xXx-o-

"It's like he doesn't even want to do it!" Rowena exclaimed. "I thought men were supposed to think about it all the time or something. Aren't they supposed to spend their time trying to think of ways to convince women to give up their virtue? How in Merlin's name do they do it? I'm practically offering myself to him on a plate and he still won't do more than a bit of kissing and hugging."

"I don't think all men spend every minute of every day scheming up plans for seducing women," Helga pointed out reasonably.

"Well, Salazar certainly doesn't," Rowena muttered.

"He's probably just trying to make sure that your reputation isn't any more damaged than it already is."

"We ran away together and haven't got married. It can't get that much more damaged."

Helga rolled her eyes impatiently. "Galloping gargoyles, you're naïve sometimes, Rowena."

"I am not!"

"What if you wound up pregnant?" Helga asked. "You think your reputation's bad now, imagine if that happened?"

"I don't care."

"But Salazar does!"

Rowena opened and closed her mouth a time or two, but could think of nothing to say. She simply didn't understand why everyone was so hung up on reputations, especially when it was her own that was at risk and she had long since ceased to care about it.

Helga sighed and smiled the smile of a conspirator. "You want me to put you and Salazar in adjoining rooms?" she asked in a loud theatrical whisper.

"Would you?" Rowena asked.

"Anything for my best friend," Helga replied. "After all, your parents have already insulted my chaperoning skills, haven't they?"

"Your chaperoning skills are impeccable," Rowena promised her. "Really they are. Just don't use them on me and Salazar."

-o-xXx-o-

Rowena looked around Salazar's bedchamber with an assessing gaze. It was a bright and airy room and everything was neat and clean. Not that she would have expected anything else from Helga. That was not what she was looking for though. Rowena was in fact deciding where to position herself in order to appear most attractive and alluring when Salazar came upstairs to turn in for the night.

She had excused herself immediately after supper, pleading exhaustion from the journey. Salazar had raised an inquisitive eyebrow and had looked far from convinced, but she had not waited around for him to question her.

She was dressed in her most revealing night gown, which was actually not that revealing at all, but it was the best she could do without buying a new one. She knew that it would be worth the money, but now she had been cut off from her parents she was learning to watch every knut.

She had borrowed some perfume from Helga, which - she informed her in a delighted whisper – was guaranteed to drive men wild.

Her paltry supply of make up had long since been exhausted, but Salazar had once commented that he preferred her without 'that muck' on her face, so she wasn't that worried about it.

All she really needed to do was find the best place to be for when Salazar returned.

She pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed. She frowned down at herself. "Well, this covers even more of me than the night dress," she muttered, climbing back out of the bed and sitting down on top of the covers instead.

Four positions later and she was still not happy about how she was being presented. The latest one left the post of the bed blocking her view of the door.

She was trying to untangle herself from covers yet again when she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. She knew immediately it was Salazar and tried to straighten herself and her hair before he reached the room.

"Rowena, what are you doing?" Salazar asked as soon as he stepped through the door.

"Waiting for you," Rowena replied in her most breathy voice.

"What?" Salazar asked, clearly not able to hear her whispered declaration.

"Waiting for you," Rowena repeated. She reached up to the tie at the neck of her night gown and pulled at it seductively. Her intention had been to casually and temptingly undo the gown and blatantly show the man in front of her just exactly what it was she had to offer him. It was just rather unfortunate that the knot in the tie was as tangled as the bed covers were and no amount of pulling at the cord would undo it. "Damn and blast it!" Rowena swore. "Why does nothing ever go right?"

Salazar chuckled and sat down on the bed. "Let me see," he ordered and Rowena moved her hands aside so that Salazar could make short work of the knot. Any fleeting thoughts she had about Salazar removing the gown, or even revealing so much as an inch of her flesh disappeared immediately when he re-tied the knot once more.

Rowena sighed. "What am I doing wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," Salazar assured her.

"Then why don't you want me?"

"You think I don't want you?" Salazar asked, obviously astounded by her assumption.

"You mean you do?"

"Of course I do, silly witch." Salazar shook his head and chuckled. "You're were driving me mad with how much I wanted you, even before you started your seduction scheming."

"Then why?" Rowena whined. "And don't give me any more rubbish about my reputation."

Salazar was quiet for several minutes. "All right," he finally said.

"Really?" Rowena asked, moving closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"But not tonight," Salazar insisted.

"Tomorrow?" Rowena suggested.

"You should get some sleep," Salazar replied, effectively ignoring her question.

"I suppose." Rowena reluctantly climbed off the bed and looked around for her discarded evening robe.

"You can stay here, if you like," Salazar offered.

"And you'll take my room?" Rowena guessed.

Salazar smiled and shook his head. "I'm sure this bed is big enough for the two of us," he said as he stood up and undid his robes.

"You're suggesting we share the bed?"

"I rather recall it was your suggestion," Salazar pointed out.

"But you don't want to do anything other than sleep?"

"Not tonight."

"And you expect me to keep my hands to myself?" Rowena asked wickedly.

"Hope," Salazar amended. "I hope you'll keep your hands to yourself, though I very much doubt you'll do so."

Rowena grinned and knelt on the covers. "You know me so well."

Salazar snorted pulled one of the bed curtains closed, stepping around it to change out of his robes. Rowena resisted the urge to peek, but only just.

-o-xXx-o-

The next morning Rowena awoke to an empty bed, something she wasn't that surprised about. She had never been an early riser and most people were up and about long before she was ready to face her day.

She dressed slowly and made her way downstairs to the kitchen in search of something edible for breakfast.

"Morning," Helga greeted her cheerfully. "I see your bed wasn't slept in this morning."

"Hmm," Rowena murmured in reply.

"Oh, no you don't!" Helga insisted. "How was it? What was it like? Did it hurt much?"

Rowena sighed. "Nothing happened."

"But-"

"But nothing," Rowena replied with another sigh. "We slept together, but that's all we did…sleep."

"You're teasing me, right?"

Rowena shook her head and picked up a chunk of bread. "Where is Salazar anyway?"

"Out the back with Godric. I think they're fixing the fence or something."

Rowena stood up and looked out to where the men were indeed looking at the fence, they didn't appear to be fixing it though.

"Helga?"

"What?"

"Do you remember that spell to listen in on people?"

"You mean the one we used to spy on my brother that time?"

Rowena nodded.

"I think so. But what do you want to use it for? I don't think listening to them talking about the advantages and disadvantages of wooden or stone fencing is really worth the effort of a spell."

"I don't think they're talking about the fence," Rowena mused. "Salazar looks uncomfortable and Godric looks…well, Godric looks like he always does…but I don't think they're talking about the fence."

Helga stood up to get a better view of what Rowena was seeing. She didn't look as though she agreed with her assessment, but like the true friend she was, she pulled out her wand and after cast the spell. Rowena copied her action and immediately heard the conversation of the two men as clearly as if they were standing beside her in the room.

"It isn't that funny!" Salazar snapped.

"Of course it is," Godric replied with a loud laugh. "You had the beautiful Rowena Ravenclaw in your bed all night and still didn't deflower the girl."

"It's not that simple."

"What isn't? She's throwing herself at you all the time, just give her what she wants. If she cares nothing for her reputation, why should it bother you so much?"

"It's got nothing to do with her reputation."

"It doesn't?"

"Of course not. Her reputation is in tatters anyway."

"Then what's the problem?"

"You've met my father…"

"Unfortunately. What of him?"

"Well, you know what he's like, how set in his ways he is, how strict?"

"I know he rules his household with a rod of iron," Godric said. "But what's that got to do with Rowena?"

"My father…he's…well, he's very much of the 'not before you're married' variety of wizard."

"You mean you haven't bedded Rowena because he wouldn't approve?" Godric asked. He sounded confused and Rowena didn't blame him. It wasn't like running off to her was something his father had approved of either.

"No, not…damn it…this is harder than I thought it would be."

"What is?"

"My father's strict, very strict, and he doesn't approve of…well, pretty much anyone or anything really…this with Rowena is the first time I've ever done anything he wouldn't approve of."

Rowena sank down onto one of the chairs as the meaning of what Salazar was saying sank in. Godric on the other hand was far less quick on the uptake.

"You've already run off with her," pointed out Godric, rather needlessly. "You've already done enough to get up the old goat's nose, why not the rest?"

"Bloody hell," Salazar snapped. "My father doesn't approve of sex before marriage, not even with whores. Before I met Rowena I'd never even thought of disobeying him. Are you understanding me now?"

"You mean you've never…?"

Salazar made a sound that was pure relief.

"But you met Rowena when you were what, sixteen?"

"Yes, and until that day I never once put a toe out of line when it came to my father. After I met her, she was all I ever wanted. I might have started to rebel against his other rules, but what interest had I in going to visit one of the local brothels? I didn't want anyone but Rowena."

"You saved yourself for her?" Godric asked with a barely concealed snicker.

"If you like," Salazar muttered.

"You're a romantic sap, you do know that?"

Rowena looked at Helga, who seemed as surprised as she felt.

Outside, Godric seemed to have recovered from his mirth enough to speak again. "I still don't see what the problem is?" he asked. "I'd have thought you waiting this long would just make you all the more eager to bed the lass."

Salazar practically hissed in frustration and Rowena giggled at the sound.

"What if I don't measure up to her expectations?" Salazar asked. "What if I mess this up? I can't lose her?"

"Lose her?" Godric spluttered. "The girl's totally smitten with you."

"What if she changes her mind afterwards? What if I hurt her? What if-"

"What if she runs out of patience?" Godric supplied.

"What if I don't measure up to that old beau of hers?" Salazar countered.

Helga turned to Rowena accusingly. "Did you and Richard?" she whispered.

"No, of course not," Rowena replied, her attention still on the men outside. "He was just a friend of the family and our parents kept pushing us together."

"Does Salazar know that?" Helga asked.

"Apparently not," Rowena muttered. She waved her wand to end the spell. "I don't think I want to listen any more."

Helga nodded and ended her own spell. "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting," she said.

"Nor me," Rowena whispered. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back later."

Helga nodded and Rowena set off to walk to the village.