DISCLAIMER: I'm not J.K. Rowling...these aren't my characters, etc...

Albus closed the office door and settled himself behind his desk. He sincerely hoped that Minerva had not called with their relationship as her intended topic of discussion; he didn't know what he would say to her if she brought it up. Albus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when Minerva, who was uncharacteristically fidgety and slightly blushing, started to say something.

"Albus, I wanted to talk -" she began, speaking very quickly, but stopped abruptly when she saw that Albus had wanted to speak. "Oh, I am terribly sorry. Were you trying to say something?" She blushed even deeper.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was." Albus saw the embarassment creeping onto his friend's face and added quickly, "but it was a matter of no importance. Please continue, my dear."

"Oh," Minerva said quietly as the blush that had just started to fade moved quickly back up her cheeks, "thank you." Albus was glad that she did not press the issue further. The truth was, he had had no idea of what he was going to say to her, and was scared that he might start rambling and accidentally say too much.

Minerva didn't know where to begin. Here she was, sitting no more than three feet away from the man she had loved with all her heart since she was seventeen years old, and she still could not muster the courage to tell him how she felt. There were so many things that she was dying to tell him, so many pent-up feelings dying to be released; each, she thought sadly as she looked up into those magnificently sparkling blue eyes, as unlikely as the next to be returned.

She could feel the scarlet blush burning on her cheeks and her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she was sure Albus could hear it. Minerva knew that she would eventually have to reveal to Albus her true feelings for him, but had never expected it to be so soon. She had been thinking about him even more these past few weeks and her love for him had intesified to such a volume that she knew she would absolutely explode if she did not soon let it out of the desolate, barren bowels of her heart. She knew what she had to do and knew that there wasn't any point in beating around the bush. That would just temporarily postpone the moment when she would have to spill her heart to the man who had unknowingly held it for so long. i No /i , she told herself in her sternest professor voice (the one she usually reserved for mischeivous Slytherins), i no beating around the bush, just come out and say it /i . Besides, if she didn't just get it over with, she might lose her nerve and not go throught with it at all.

So, gathering up all of her firey Gryffindor strength and courage, she took a deep breath and began, speaking slowly and trying to visualize in her mind the short speech she had prepared and rehearsed countless times in her private rooms the night before. "Albus, I wanted to talk - to talk - about -" She couldn't do it. She couldn't make herself say the words that had been dying to burst forth from her heart for all these years.

And then, without warning, and with no comprehension whatsoever of what she was doing, Minerva did something that she had not done at all in a long time, and never in the presence of anyone other than her long-deceased parents. She cried. At first it was a single tear trickling slowly down her face until it dropped silently onto her lap. That solitary tear was followed by a dry sob, and before she knew it, Albus had swept gracefully around his desk and was cradling her in his strong arms as she cried and cried, more than she had ever cried in ther entire life.

Minerva didn't know how long she cried, but Albus made no complaint and simply continued gently rubbing her back in comforting circles, whispering quiet words of solace to her. When she did finally stop crying, she pulled slowly away and looked down at her feet. She was so ashamed at having broken down in front of him like that, and could not even bring herself to thank Albus for comforting her.

"Min," Albus said, choosing his next words carefully, so as to avoid another breakdown, "you know that whatever happens, I will always be there to support you in whatever you do, and I am always more than willing to listen to you and give you advice whenever you need it. You are the dearest friend and closest confidante that I have ever had and I want you to know that you can tell me anything."

Albus' calming words helped ease Minerva's nerves and gradually ended her shuddering breathing, but they also made her think. Albus had just said that she was his best friend and that she could tell him anything. But what if she really opened up to him and what she said made their friendship awkward, or worse, brought it to an end altogether? Minerva didn't think she could bear the thought of losing Albus as a friend, even if it meant never being anything more than friends. She decided then that she could not go through with it because there was too much at stake to risk it all for her selfish feelings. "Albus, I am terribly sorry for the way I behaved," she said as she stood to take her leave, "I don't know what came over me. I was being-"

"Minerva, I'll hear no apologies; you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. As I just said, you can tell me anything, and crying is a natural part of being human. My only regret is that you will not open up to me and tell me what is on your mind that is bothering you so." He reached up and took her hands in his. Biting her bottom lip anxiously and looking anywhere but at Albus, Minerva finally sat back down. "Now what is it that is upetting you? I hate to see you in this state."

The Deputy Headmistress sighed heavily. She wanted so badly to tell Albus how she felt about him, but she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. She also knew, though, that if he knew she was keeping something important from him, he would be hurt. She was so conflicted that she thought she might cry again.

"Tabby," Albus prodded, using his pet name for the witch whose animagus form was that of a tabby cat, "I know there's something you're not telling me, and it's obviously very personal, or you would have told me about it before now. I respect your privacy, but whatever it is is bothering you a great deal, and I cannot stand seeing you so distraught."

A/N: I hope y'all like this story...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave a review!