Chapter two: Old Enemies and a Bit of Jealousy
"So, what do you want to do today?" Paul asks his grandkids.
"Can we go swimming?" Bethany asks instantly.
Severus rolls his eyes. Ella smiles. They had been sending each other looks behind Paul's back all morning. Ella had hoped to catch Severus upstairs before he came down this morning so that she could ask him about what had happened after he'd left last night, but he had gotten up before her.
"Actually, that sounds like a good idea. I haven't been swimming yet this summer, and I just bought a new bathing suit." She agrees.
"What to you think, Severus, should we take the kids swimming?" Paul asks him.
"It sounds like a brilliant idea, just so long as I don't have to get in with them." Severus replies with a smirk. He had no objections to seeing her in a bathing suit.
"Can we? Please, please, please?" Bethany begs.
"I guess," Paul relents, "Go get ready."
Ella wraps the towel around herself tightly, suddenly feeling insecure, and heads downstairs where the others were already waiting for her. Severus can't help but notice that she was avoiding his gaze.
"Are we ready to go now?" Paul questions with a smile, taking his house key out of its place in the closet.
"Let's go," Zak answers, heading for the door.
With Paul and Bethany in front, they quickly make their way out to the pool area behind the apartment buildings. Realizing that she was intentionally lagging behind everyone else, including him, Severus slows down so that he's walking next to her.
"Self-conscious?" He questions with a smirk, keeping his gaze straight ahead.
"I'm not used to wearing something so…revealing in front of people I just so recently met." She explains apologetically, not quite sure if it was true.
"Understandable…" he replies, still smirking. "However, I would like to inform you that you have beautiful legs."
He watches out of the corner of his eye as she blushes.
"Did I get you into trouble last night?" she questions, changing the subject.
"For what, flirting with his granddaughter?" he prods, rolling his eyes.
"Yes…Grandpa has been overprotective lately, and he was angry when he caught you with me last night." She explains.
"Oh, trust me, he was furious." He assures her sourly.
"So I did get you into trouble," She mutters, glaring daggers at her grandfather's back.
"Not in the slightest," he replies calmly, studying her reaction.
She raises her eyebrows at him.
"Let's just say I'm not one to kiss and tell…not to imply that we-"
"What are you two talking about back there?" Paul questions, holding open the gate to the pool for us.
"Robert Frost," I reply, not missing a beat. "Severus read a bit of my poetry book last night, and would now like to borrow it."
"Is that so," Paul eyes Severus.
"Frost is actually and excellent poet, Paul. You ought to try reading some of his work sometime." Severus suggests, playing along.
"I might just do that." Paul agrees with a smile.
Severus follows Paul to sit in one of the pool side chairs, yet is unable to take his eyes off of the young woman who'd just removed her towel…
Ella had gotten out of the water first, but had still spent an hour playing volleyball with Zak and entertaining Beth. She was wearing a two piece swim suit. It was black and covered the essential parts well enough, but hid little else. A sort of black fishnet material was attached to the main part of the suit and served to cover her upper stomach and a small portion of her upper thighs, however since it was see though it might as well have not been there. It was obviously just for show.
She was now, once again, wrapped in a towel, sitting in one of the chairs on the other side of the pool.
Severus studies her calculatingly before questioning Paul. "I assume her distancing herself from us has to do with her rough past?"
"She doesn't mean to offend you, I'm sure…It's just…she's been through a lot, so she's naturally guarded. It's no reason to stop being friendly with her." Paul answers hesitantly.
"No, its not," Severus agrees. "What exactly happened to her, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I'd rather you didn't ask. It's personal." Paul answers stiffly. "Mind your own business."
"As you wish," Severus replies quickly, sensing that he had just crossed a line in some way.
Bethany and Zak stayed in the water for another hour and a half before reluctantly getting out and drying themselves off. Paul stands up, motions for Ellizabeth to follow, and heads towards the gate without sparing Severus a glance.
"I see you finally bought that swim suit you wanted when you were fifteen." Paul observes as Ellizabeth catches up to them.
Severus catches her eye behind the man's back, raises an eyebrow, and mouths, "Fifteen?"
"Yes, I decided to buy it on impulse the day before we came up here." She answers both of them slyly.
"The color looks good on her, does it not, Paul?" Severus comments lightly.
"You'd think black looked good on anything, Severus." Paul teases him, "but yes. She's my princess. Anything looks good on her."
Ella laughs, "That's right, it does."
The next day
"Severus, would you be so kind as to go get my glasses? They're up in my room." Paul requests.
Severus stands up and heads upstairs, a smirk on his face. He now had an excuse to look in on Ella. She had gone upstairs a while ago. Her absence unexplainably annoyed him.
He freezes in the hallway and slowly turns around, hoping he didn't just see what he thought he did. Bellatrix and McNair emerge from the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" Severus sneers, suddenly uncomfortably aware that he had no way to defend himself against them.
"Aww, is little Severus not going to welcome us?" Bellatrix coos disappointedly.
"I want you to apparate back to where ever you came from before the muggle realize you're here." He demands sharply.
"And what if we don't want to?" McNair asks challengingly. "What if I'm here to see that nice little who seems to have attached herself to you so quickly? Who was she again? Oh, yes…my fiancé!"
"I haven't the slightest clue as to what you're talking about, and to be quite honest, I don't give a damn."
"You remember Ellizabeth, don't you? My Ellizabeth, whose parents 'accidently' perished in a blazing house fire because she tried to leave me?" McNair questions as though he were speaking to an old friend.
"Ella?" Severus frowns.
"They're one in the same."
"Ella's a muggle, McNair." Severus snaps at him.
"She thinks she's a muggle," Bella coos.
"She's a nice fuck is what she is. All you have to do is say the right words and she'll take you to bed. You might want to try it sometime." McNair advises.
"Don't talk about her like that," Severus snarls defensively.
"Did I ever tell you how sexy you are when you're jealous?" Bella asks seductively. She moves forward and wraps her arms around his neck. "Don't you remember how good I was, Severus? Don't you want it? You remember, don't you? You used to take me all the time…" She pulls his mouth down on hers and grinds her hips against his.
Severus unwillingly lets out a low moan. It had been so long…
"Severus?"
Ella had just stepped out of her room and froze when she caught sight of what was happening. He quickly pushes Bella away.
"Ella, downstairs! Now!" Severus orders, catching sight of the way McNair was looking at her.
She starts towards the stairs, but McNair catches her and pulls her back against him, forcing her to face Severus.
"Come now, Severus! We could have a foursome!" McNair offers, sliding his hand between her legs.
"Let her go!" Severus snarls threateningly, his voice low and filled with venom.
"Does poor little Severus want her for himself?" Bella pouts.
"Let her go and leave or I will summon Dumbledore. You know it's within my power." Severus demands.
"Not much else is." Bella replies tauntingly.
McNair studies him for a moment before giving in. Severus glares at him mercilessly.
"Fine, but you haven't seen the last of us, Snape! Traitors must be punished! Bella, come on."
Bellatrix grabs his hardened crotch as she moves past him. She and McNair slip back into the shadows and apparates.
"Who is she? Who are they?" Ella demands, obviously upset.
"She's no one. An old enemy." Severus answers simply, hoping she wouldn't press the matter.
"Don't lie to me! I saw you kissing her!" Ella accuses.
"Actually, what you saw was an insane woman forcing herself on me." He sighs, "Are you alright?"
"I didn't look as though we were objecting much. She turned you on well enough." She snaps at him, her glance at his erection and back to his face.
"Jealous, are we?" Severus questions mockingly, raising his eyebrows and closing his coat around himself.
They glare at each other for a moment before she moves past him, headed for the staircase.
Severus grabs her arm and pulls her up against him.
"Oh no you're not. Not before you answer my question." He objects.
She studies him, the look on his face telling her that she was being introduced to his stubborn side.
She glares at him before replying. "Fine…yes. I am jealous. Despite the fact that I just met you day before yesterday I am incredibly attracted to you. I'm also a selfish arse who's trying to resist wanting you for myself. Given that information it's quite understandable that I'd get pissed off at the sight of you grinding up against someone el-"
He silences her with a soft kiss.
"I knew I read your expressions right." He smirks.
"What expressions?" She murmurs, dazed from the kiss.
"The looks you've been giving me that say you're dying for me to do this-" He kisses her again, this time a bit more firmly. A fiery feeling develops in her lower stomach as she wraps her arms around his neck. Severus runs his tongue along her bottom lip, begging entrance. She eagerly allows him do deepen the kiss and moans as his tongue explores her mouth, prodding against hers.
"Severus!"
They quickly broke apart and look towards the stairs to see a red faced Paul looking up at them furiously.