A/N: Hi… It's been a year since my last update to this fic so it would be silly making up any excuse… The thing is I suddenly got blocked with HP… but now I'm back^^ and willing to update my old plots and post new stories!

Her sin – 18 – Hide and seek

He was beginning to think maybe they were wrong, maybe they weren't staying in that hotel. He'd been standing in that hall every night for days and he'd never seen anything strange.

The next day would be a year and one month exactly since Tom took her from him… Of course he'd seen her eight months ago when they got Poppy back with Faith but… that obviously wasn't enough. He missed her… He missed her sleepy voice on the morning, her sarcastic tone when they argued, her blushed cheeks when he said nice things to her, her childish look when she was winning a chess game to him… He needed her back.

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When she came out of the elevator she could see him standing behind a column. She hesitated and stepped back… but she had to do it… Tom has asked her to do it and she couldn't say no.

"Please, don't move" she said, hiding herself at the other side of the column.

"Minerva?" his voice exclaimed with happiness not believing it was her. And his feet made a step forwards, but she did a step backwards so the column was always between them "Minerva, please, let me look at you"

"No" she said reluctantly… It could seem a childish game to him, but for her, hiding behind the column was the only way to avoid the pain. He obeyed and stopped trying to see her, but instead he approached a hand to her, and she couldn't resist caressing it with her fingers.

"I miss you" he said. There were so many things she'd like to say… beginning for her baby. Was her little girl ok? She was so small the day she was born that Minerva had been wondering all those months if she'd been able to survive…

She sighted… She knew Tom was listening to them from somewhere and she didn't want to say anything she could regret… "Albus, I came down to ask you to leave, please…" she said, deciding the best she could do was just saying what Tom had asked her to do "Whatever you're looking for in here, you won't find it"

"What?" he wondered, forgetting their deal and stepping forwards, what made her react quickly and step backwards, always keeping the safety column between them so he couldn't see her grown belly. "Minerva, I'm here looking for you… Come back to the school with me, with us…" he begged "There's something unresolved between us, remember?" and he suddenly took his hand away to took it back with the silver ring with an emerald he'd used to purpose her.

Her eyes filled with tears… She couldn't bear that anymore… She had to get out, to run away… She had to make him leave the sooner possible. "There's nothing to solve, Albus… I'm very sorry but…" she couldn't… she was going to hurt him so much… "you should keep that ring for a single witch"

"What do you mean?"

"I got married, Albus… I'm sorry… Right after losing my baby I accepted Thomas purpose and we got married in Ireland…"

"No, no… He charmed you, he obligated you… You don't love him…" he forgot about their deal again, but this time Minerva didn't react so fast, and their looks met all of a sudden. Any of them said anything… They just looked at each other, fighting their wish to embrace him, to kiss her lips, to feel his arms safety, to touch her soft skin… Then she noticed his look had gone down and tried to explain herself but, she couldn't… Tom was listening… he stepped back… he couldn't believe it, he couldn't understand it… his fingers let the silver ring slide down and while he left, Minerva listened to the metal crashing on the ground.

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"Well done, my Queen" Tom said when Minerva came back to their suit "I hope this won't cause him a heart attack" he said laughing.

"Albus is a strong wizard" Minerva muttered, later realizing what she'd just said.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing… Shouldn't we be leaving for dinner?"

"I asked them to take it up hear… We should celebrate we've finally got rid of the old man…" he said approaching her, taking her wrist on his hands "We could maybe have some fun deserts" he purposed kissing her hand and suddenly stopping to look at the silver bracelet with an emerald she was wearing "Is it new?"

"I bought it at Borgin & Burkes while you were talking with Mr. Borgin… Don't you like it? I cold take it back…" she managed to say. She couldn't imagine how he'd react if he ever discovered the bracelet was Albus proposing ring transfigured.

"No… I like it…" he said, not paying more attention to the jewel.

...

TO BE CONTINUED…