Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Step Eleven

It was unusual for him to be challenged by someone, especially one who wasn't related to Hugo or a member of his own house, but it did occasionally happen and Alexei was less than pleased to find that Rose's secretary was one of those people. He needed to get in to speak with her but apparently the woman glaring defiantly at him was one of the brainless twits who thought his cousin was the greatest thing since sliced bread. She was refusing to back down or even tell his lover's sister that he wanted to see her because the twit had promised Sev that she wouldn't allow anyone to see Rose who might upset her and Alexei was apparently guaranteed to do precisely that. She was going to call security on him if he didn't leave this instant.

"You do realize Sev and I are first cousins, right? She and I are technically family. And I'm dating her brother."

"Mr. Sev said not to let ANY member of his family near Mrs. Daimon without his prior permission, especially now that she's pregnant." Was the secretary's snooty response. "And as for the rumors you're dating Hugo I don't believe it. He would never have anything to do with the likes of you."

"Now you listen here, you-"

"Is there a problem here?"

Turning his head to look in the new arrival's direction Alexei wasn't sure if this would help or hinder him but he figured it couldn't hurt to at least attempt to get her to help him out. "Mrs. Weasley. I was just explaining to your daughter's secretary that I need to speak to Rose. It's important."

"I see." Crossing her arms in front of her Hermione gave him a look that said she wasn't buying his polite act one little bit and was more than capable of going toe to toe with him if necessary. "Agnes, is my daughter available to see Mr. Dolohov and myself right now?"

"Mr. Sev said…but if you're there I suppose-she's available." The secretary finally admitted grudgingly, shooting a warning look in Alexei's direction that made it clear she didn't trust him one little bit. "Go right in, Mrs. Weasley."

"Thank you, Agnes."

Trading last minute dark looks with the secretary Alexei had to give her some credit for standing up to him, even though a lot of her confidence had likely come from the fact that they were in the Ministry of Magic at the moment and he'd be pretty low to curse a woman old enough to be his grandmother. But since he had no intention of discussing the matter with her further Alexei simply followed Hugo's mother into her daughter's office after a brief knock to announce their arrival.

Surprise was all over Rose's face when she saw who'd come in with her mother, her gaze questioning as she greeted her mother and then Alexei out of basic courtesy.

"He was trying to get past Agnes when I came by. Apparently he has something important to talk to you about." Talking a seat in front of her daughter's desk Hermione crossed her legs and then looked at Alexei in a way that ordered him to hurry up and state his business.

Pulling out the other chair Alexei took his seat and gave mental thanks that he wasn't attracted to women. They were so damn annoying. "This won't take long." He began, not wanting to be there any more than they probably wanted him to be there. "I just need you to use your influence to convince Sev that he needs to visit my mother and convince her to leave Hugo and I alone. He's her favorite, as you know, and she'll listen to him."

Eyes narrowing Rose asked if there was reason to believe Alexei's mother would cause Hugo problems.

"I would have thought no, but she came to see me today and I think the pressure from the rest of the family might make her act against her better judgment. I intend to make it perfectly clear to Hugo that he has my blessing to jinx or curse her if need be, but we both know he'd hesitate even if it was in self-defense."

"You're fine with him putting your mother in the hospital?" Hermione's expression said it all.

"Have you met my mother, Mrs. Weasley?"

She'd met the other woman at Rose and Sev's wedding, Hermione was pretty sure, but the two families hadn't done all that much inter-mingling for the sake of the bride and groom. Sev might pretend to be the most charming and easy going of men most of the time, but the same could not be said for the rest of her son in law's extended family. And while it was on the tip of her tongue to point out that maybe that fact was why Alexei's mother preferred her nephew to her own son Hermione bit the words back in case the woman was actually just a horrible mother who was responsible for her son's less than winning personality.

Instead Hermione asked why Alexei hadn't just gone straight to Sev with his request since her son in law and Hugo got along very well.

"I never ask Sev for anything if I can help it. He always wants something in return." He'd know Sev all his life and had the physical and mental scars to prove it. Sev would probably say the same about him, Alexei mused with the faintest of smiles.

Rose didn't like that hint of a smile, it probably didn't bode well for someone, but when it came to the idea of additional protection for her baby brother she was all for it. "Sev's coming in to pick me up tonight." As he'd done every night since they'd discovered that she was pregnant. "I'll tell him what's going on and see to it that he visits your mother tomorrow."

"Excellent. That's all I wanted to talk to you about."

Hermione waited until he'd stood up before point blank asking him what his intentions were towards her son.

Raising an eyebrow Alexei's rakish grin was surprising similar to Sev's, which threw them almost as much as his causal response.

"To make him very happy, of course."

The two women watching him go in stunned silence, neither spoke until the door had closed behind him.

"I did not see that coming."

Hermione nodded in complete understanding. "That makes two of us."

)

Thankfully for all involved no one dared to question Alexei's at his next stop, which was to pick Hugo up before they headed out to dinner. Hugo's workplace was filled with the scholarly and cerebral, everyone he encountered on his way to Hugo's floor either gave him a wide berth or showing no sign of even knowing he was there as they poured over their books and scrolls with complete absorption. If his lover hadn't needed glasses to begin with the work he did would have seen to that from the looks of things. Not to mention he was liable to have a bad back before he hit middle age if he spent as much time leaning forward as his fellow workers seemed to. He'd have to remember to talk to the Gryffindor about that, he wanted the man to remain as limber and flexible as possible.

These thoughts and more crossed his mind as he sat on Hugo's relatively clean desk as he waited for the man in question to come back from wherever he'd gone, the majority of the people in the room getting ready to leave while shooting him curious looks. And then he sensed that the man he was waiting for was nearby, his gaze focusing in with the accuracy that made him the best seeker of his generation.

Looking at Hugo from a distance you'd think handsome or sexy, Alexei thought as he watched his lover walk towards him with his attention completely focused on several sheets of parchment he appeared to be going over. The height, beard, and appealing features were what you noticed from far away, and it was the eyes that transformed him into a bloke who was normally described as cute, nice, or adorable.

Alexei had often thought, but of course would never say, that if there were such things as angels they'd have eyes like Hugo's. Old eyes that showed a knowledge that spanned thousands of years but were balanced out by an innocence that saw the good in everything and everyone.

His curly haired cherub, Alexei thought ruefully and with a small smile, having to work hard not to smile wider moments later when Hugo finally looked up and sensed his presence, the other man's face lighting up in reaction.

Raising a single hand in greeting Alexei tilted his head up when Hugo reached him, accepting the kiss of greeting as his due. "Done for the day?"

"Yes. I thought we were meeting at the restaurant."

Not about to admit that Rose's statement that Sev would be picking her up from work had spurned him into going the extra mile, Alexei just shrugged and stated he'd been in the neighborhood. He'd thought to get a look at where Hugo worked.

"Not much to see, but I'm glad you came."

"Your desk is cleaner than I thought it would be."

Hugo grinned. "It's usually piled higher than anyone else's with books and such. I recently finished up all my projects which was why I could get the time off to spend with you before. That's actually what I have in my hand, a list of translation orders. I usually get ahold of all the original copies and read them through first before I start sorting through them to see what I want to start with. Plus I usually do a few at once so that I don't get too absorbed in one and forget I need to get things done sooner as opposed to later. I usually get assigned the ones where the original texts are in bad shape or in a very obscure tongue so then I need reference material and-you get the picture."

"Even worse than your flat, in other words."

"Exactly."

The two sharing a knowing look, Hugo broke it off when he retrieved his jacket and scarf, bundling up and then sliding on his book bag, stuffing the work list he'd been given inside. "Let's head off then, shall we?"

Nodding Alexei slid off the desk, taking Hugo's hand when it was not at all subtly offered to him. It would undermine his rep a little, he knew, but it made Hugo happy and he was in the mood to do so at the moment.

And since he wanted to make sure that Hugo's colleagues knew who Hugo belonged to Alexei did nothing to disrupt their appearance of a happy couple until they were outdoors and headed towards the restaurant. The way he figured it, it was better to have the unpleasant discussion outside where they were less likely to be overheard, especially since it was raining and they were sharing the umbrella he'd brought which necessitated their present closeness.

"My mother shouldn't be coming to see you, but if she does I'd advise you reminding her that she'll have Sev and I to deal with if she doesn't leave you alone. She doesn't approve of you and I dating."

"I'd rather get along with your mother."

"No one gets along with my mother." Was Alexei's response to that. "Some pretend to enjoy her company, like Sev, but by and large she's a thoroughly disagreeable woman who's only truly happy when she's creating potions. The fact that you're good at potions would help somewhat, but since we can't reproduce she's bound and determined to hate you beyond the principle point of you being a Weasley and Gryffindor."

Sev and Alexei's mothers were sisters, and came from a family that cared about potions and very little else. Offspring were meant to carry on the work their parents had started, and if they had no interest in that they were considered of very little use to their family. As Rose's brother Hugo had had to hear countless rants about Sev's mother and her lack of maternal instincts and affection where her son was concerned.

"She does realize you have no romantic interest towards women, right?"

"You do realize she's coldblooded enough not to care about that, right?" Alexei shot back.

Hugo thought about this. "So there's not a chance that I could charm my way into her good graces if she at least gave me a chance? I mean I've always thought Sorcha could come to like me if she wasn't so set on disliking me on principle."

"My mother's a lost cause. Sorcha could possibly be worn down…after a few decades."

Lips twitching Hugo had to smile, even though he didn't like the idea of being disliked by the people closest to his lover. Of course said people were close because they were family, not because Alexei appeared to like any of them in particular.

"So you think she'll come by to see me? Try to talk me out of dating you?"

"Actually I was thinking more threaten, which is why you should threaten her right back with Sev and I. He's the son she's always wanted, and she knows I won't stand for you being threatened, much less actually harmed. I made that perfectly clear this afternoon when she came to see me." Stopping Alexei reached out and grasped Hugo's chin, making sure he had the Gryffindor's complete attention when he stated that the man would not like the consequences if he failed to alert him to some threat to his person. An attack on Hugo was an attack on him.

"For as long as we're together?" Hugo asked lightly, careful to angle to umbrella so that they stayed dry.

"You'll tell me if anyone threatens you, promise me."

Smiling at the neat avoidance Hugo nodded his head. "I promise. Though you should know I've made this promise to quite a number of people , so you'd have to stand in line to have a talk with whoever my threatener might be."

"Then promise you'll tell me first."

"But you're the one most likely to be the most violent."

"And your point would be?"

Shaking his head Hugo accepted that this wasn't an argument he could win. So instead he promised that if he ever felt that his life was actually in danger he would definitely get ahold of Alexei first, the Slytherin grudgingly accepting that.

)

The next day around the same time Alexei came back to Hugo's workplace to see the man safely to the Quidditch pitch for his game, stopping abruptly once he got close enough to get a look at the fact that Hugo had changed out of the outfit he'd been wearing when he left for work that morning. The unexpected surprise had the Slytherin's eyebrows rising up to his hairline over the fact that Hugo, who was in the midst of putting on his coat, was wearing his own team's jersey. One that looked well-worn to his critiquing eyes.

Walking over to stand beside Hugo's desk Alexei kept his tone light as he inquired as to just how long the man had had the jersey seeing as he'd been under the impression that the Cannons were Hugo's team of choice.

"Well my dad is one of their biggest fans." Hugo pointed out as he turned his attention to Alexei as he finished buttoning up his coat. "And I do support them when they're not playing against you. Though I did cheer for them when I was dating Quentin even when you were playing." Hugo added to be completely truthful. "But I am a…silent fan of the Tornados these days."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Shifting in closer Alexei smiled when Hugo tipped his head down for him so that they could share a slow, lingering kiss before reluctantly ending it since Alexei did have a match to compete in, not to mention the team meeting he was expected to attend before that. Hugo had even pointed out that he was perfectly capable of getting to the game all on his own but Alexei had insisted. He hadn't realized that the other man would be wearing something that made it clear who he was there for.

"So what's your aunt going to say when she sees what you're wearing?" Alexei asked as they headed out of the building, the weather thankfully a lot clearer and warmer than it had been the night before. Not that either of them had minded having to stay close to the other.

Hugo shrugged in the easygoing way he was known for. "She cheers for the Harpies, of course, and she knows I'm there for you so I doubt my…allegiances tonight will surprise her terribly much. It's my dad who's not going to be terribly thrilled when everyone he knows rubs it in his face, but I did send him an owl giving him a heads up so hopefully he'll be somewhat prepared."

"You sent your father an owl telling him you'd be cheering for my team tonight?"

"He's a VERY big Cannons fan."

"That's just sad."

Pushing back a few stray curls that needed to be trimmed off his forehead Hugo didn't take offense. "So you're saying that if you had a son who chose to cheer for a team other than the one you'd played for you wouldn't care?"

"Teams should be cheered for based on the skill of the players and whether they're deserving of support or not. Twenty years from now my team could be so piss poor that I'd go to games just to heckle them and tell them off for destroying my bloody legacy."

Able to picture that perfectly Hugo had to laugh and give Alexei's hand a squeeze. "I stand corrected."