Snape groaned softly as he woke. His entire body ached horribly and he swore a pair of dragons was fighting in his skull. He gritted his teeth before slowly opening his eyes. Immediately, he knew he wasn't in his room in the dungeon of Hogwarts. His eyes flew open and he moved to sit up but he was forced back down by a wave of nausea.

The room he was in was painted an eggshell color with mauve accents. There were a pair of large windows on the far wall and the light hurt his eyes a bit. He was covered with an afghan and realized he was lying on a bed.

He felt the bed shift slightly and he turned his head to find himself looking into familiar eyes. 'Bloody hell,' he thought. 'How did I end up here, of all places?'

There was a small smile on her lips as she spoke, "Are you feeling any better?"

He raised a hand to his face and rubbed at his temples, "No." He closed his eyes a moment before opening them again and staring into her sleepy green eyes, "How… how did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" she asked gently. He shook his head and she continued, "I heard the bell which announces my magical mail, usually it's Fawkes – Dumbledore's phoenix. I checked the monitor and saw you standing there, leaning on the mailbox. When I went outside, you practically collapsed and I half-carried you back in here." She frowned slightly, "I got you on the bed and you passed out."

He turned away from her and very slowly sat up. His vision swam for a moment, but he forced himself to stay still and it passed. "I should go," he said quickly.

He felt the bed shift and heard her hurried footsteps before seeing her next to his side of the bed.

"And just where do you think you will go, Sev? You're in no condition to go anywhere."

His eyes flashed at the familiar nickname. She was the only one he had ever allowed to address him that way, but that was a lifetime ago. "Don't," he growled, "call me that." He pushed the afghan off his legs and slowly maneuvered himself so his feet touched the ground. He bit down on the nausea which threatened and rested his head in his hands.

"You always were a stubborn one," she said quietly as she moved and sat next to him.

Her thigh was touching his and he clamped down on the feelings that the contact brought. The nightshirt rode up her thighs, leaving a tantalizing amount of leg visible to his downcast eyes. He glanced away from her, trying to ignore the surge of lust he felt. Her hand was on his cheek now and he raised his head and turned to face her.

"Stay here and rest," she said gently. "Then, when you are feeling better, you can angrily storm out of here."

She suddenly leaned towards him and the kiss she gave him was probably intended to be a chaste one. He should have pulled away, but instead, his hand rose into her hair and he deepened the kiss. He felt her respond, her mouth opening slightly. He felt her gently pulling away and he dropped his hand. She was flushed and looked slightly embarrassed.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she said quickly, standing and stepping away from the bed. "I should dress… Will you wait here? I can go down and bring you up something to eat…"

He nodded slowly, knowing that he shouldn't try to stand up just yet.

"Oh… ok," she said quietly, rummaging for some clothes and hurrying into the bathroom.

He shook his head slowly once she left to go downstairs. 'What was going on here?' he wondered. 'Why had he come here instead of returning to Hogwarts as he normally did? And why had she kissed him?'