Chapter 4 - Feelings revealed
Minerva stood outside of Albus rooms wondering whether or not to knock. He had left her nearly five hours ago and she couldnt get that kiss out of her mind. It had been gentle yet loving and had plagued her every thought since it happened. She had tried to push it from her mind but had failed.
She considered Albus Dumbledore her very best friend and trusted him immensely. She had fallen in love with him during her sixth year and it had blossomed ever since, at least within her heart. She had never found the courage to reveal her true feelings to him and then after the ordeal she had been through four years ago she never felt worthy to have his love.
She quickly knocked on the door before she could change her mind and leave. Minutes passed before he answered the door. He stood sleepy-eyed wearing his sleeping robes. She hadn't thought about the time or that she would be disturbing him she had only thought about her own need for answers.
Albus eyes widen at the sight of Minerva standing at his door in her nightclothes. She looked fidgety and slightly embarrassed for some reason. "Minerva what brings you here at this time?"
"If it's convenient I need to talk with you."
"Of course Minerva, come on in," he softly grabbed her arm and guided her to the couch in his sitting room.
They sat in silence until Minerva gathered her courage to speak her mind. She started shakily, "Albus about what happened earlier."
"I had not meant for that to happen," he interrupted and immediately regretted his choice of words.
Minerva shifted slightly and whispered, "Oh."
He realized she misunderstood his meaning when she flushed red with embarrassment. He sought to rectify the situation and quickly. "I had not meant to show my feelings for you," he said hoping she would understand the complete meaning of his words.
"What feelings would that be," she asked curiously.
He smiled at her inquiry and lifted a shaky hand to push back a few ringlets that had fallen on her face. She closed her eyes when his fingers skimmed across her skin. He leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Minerva I happen to love you."
Her breathe caught and her heart skipped a beat. He had said he loved her but she had to be sure. She turned to gaze into his eyes and saw the truth radiating from them. "Albus I love you too," she whispered as tears filled her eyes.
He smiled at her admission and pulled her lips to his. She was shocked by his actions at first but quickly recovered and responded in kind. The kiss tapered off when the need to breathe became too great. Minerva wasnt quite ready to end the connection and rested her forehead against his. "I regret not revealing my love for you sooner," he admitted.
"Why didn't you," she asked.
He sighed and shifted nervously. "Believe it or not I was afraid of how you would respond. I actually fell in love with you while you were still a student so it was not appropriate and I couldn't tell you."
Minerva was shocked, never had she imagined he had fallen in love with her. She couldn't fathom the idea of him fallen in love with her while she was his student, it was not appropriate but she was not going to think about it now. Right now she had a confession to make of her own. "Albus I fell in love with you during my sixth year when you transformed those four feathers into House mascots that danced about. You captivated me and I knew there would be no other for me."
He smiled and pulled her in for a series of breathy kisses. "I love you," he whispered between kisses which she answered in kind. "I always want you in my life Minerva," he breathed.
She froze at his words. They just declared their love for each other, how could he possibly want her in his life forever? This had to be some sort of misunderstanding and she sought to clear it up. "Albus what are saying?" she asked nervously.
He studied her face for a moment before he answered, "I want you to marry me Minerva."
She paled visibly as she took in all he said. He told her he loved her and asked her to marry him on the same night. This was insanity. "Albus this is too fast," she said panicky.
He just grinned bigger then simply asked, "Why?"
Minerva eyes widen in surprise. She had not anticipated his response. "Albus you just told me you love me. Do you really expect me to accept a marriage proposal the same night?"
"Yes," he replied honestly then asked, "If that is what is in your heart."
She often dreamed of marrying him but this was ridiculous. She knew if Michaela didnt exist she would marry him but now she had a daughter that depended on her and the decisions she made. She had to place Michaelas happiness over her own. "Albus I love you but I can not marry you. I couldnt possibly ask you to take on the responsibility of a wife and daughter, it wouldn't be fair," she reasoned as she placed some distance between them.
Albus had momentarily feared hed lost her but it was in vain. Even after everything she had been through, she was trying to protect him. It made him love her even more and he sought to make her see his point of view. He slowly advanced towards her as he said, "It wouldn't be a burden to have you and Kitten in my life and you didnt ask I volunteered. I couldn't think of anything more thrilling than to have you in my life and so I ask you again, will you marry me?"
"Yes," she faintly whispered.
"That's the answer I wanted," he said quickly as he placed a small diamond and emerald ring on her finger. She glanced at the ring then to Albus eyes and lost herself in the love she saw there. He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. When the kiss ended, she swayed and he supported her by pulling her tightly against him. "I love you," he panted.
"And I love you," she panted in response.
Albus kissed her forehead, both eyelids, her nose, to the corners of her mouth where he started trailing kisses across her jaw line and then down her neck. Her arms draped around the nape of his neck as her head lolled back to expose more of her neck to him. He covered every inch of her neck with open mouth kisses as his hands explored her backside. They were startled by a buzzing noise coming from inside of Minervas robe. "Michaela's awake I have to go to her, she said as she pulled away. Daisy will not be able to lull her back to sleep."
"Well we better start walking, shouldn't we?" he asked as he offered her his arm.
She slid her arm through his offered one then replied, "Yes we should."
When they arrived Michaela completely ignored Albus and sprinted into Minerva's outstretched arms. Minerva settled her little girl on her hip and then slowly bounced her as she walked around the room. Albus silently bid Daisy goodnight and watched in awe as Minerva lulled her babe to sleep. She deposited her in the small bed and kissed her forehead before shutting the door. "Minerva that is amazing. How do you manage to lull her to sleep so quickly?" asked a curious Albus.
She laughed softly as she nestled close to him on the couch. "I assure you it isnt amazing. I just have had a lot of practice at it," she stated.
"Do you think I will be able to lull her to sleep like that after we marry?"
Minerva turned to him and touched his cheek before replying, "Of course you will. She's already smitten with you."
"Im quite smitten with her too," retorted Albus.
Minerva shifted closer to Albus before asking, "When did you intend for us to marry?"
"As soon as possible," he replied quickly causing her to laugh. "Do you want a lavish or simple wedding?"
She thought momentarily before answering, "A simple wedding will do nicely. To be perfectly honest, I do not need a formal wedding as long as you and Michaela are present."
"To be perfectly honest with you dear, neither do I." He was silent for a moment before suggesting, "If it is acceptable to you, why dont we have Kitten, my parents, my sister and brother as witnesses and allow the Minister of Magic to perform the ceremony."
"It's brilliant Albus," she said thoughtfully then added, "Michaela will be more comfortable with just a few people present and we will be able to wed sooner since we don't need to concentrate on wedding details."
"Does this mean we can marry tomorrow evening?" he asked hopefully.
Minervas eyes widen in surprise as her head snapped up. "Albus surely you can not be serious," she asked and he nodded his head. "We both have classes tomorrow and the day after and then Michaela and I will have to buy new robes. I do not intend to teach any classes the day after I marry you Albus Dumbledore. I want to lay in bed secure in your arms until noon and that is exactly what I recommend happens."
"Anything you want Minerva," he soothed. "What about the day after tomorrow? We will have three wonderful days to lie in bed and you can use tomorrow to find a dress."
She smiled at his eagerness to be wed and then said, "Alright we have two days and a lot to accomplish. We will tell Michaela tomorrow morning and then in the evening I could search for new robes. Albus where will Michaela stay while we are on our honeymoon? I have no idea and we need to figure out if we will stay in my rooms or yours. We..."
He shushed her by laying a finger over her lips. "It will all work out for us love," he comforted. "Tomorrow afternoon I will watch Kitten and you can go buy new robes. I will owl my parents and ask if they could keep her for a few days, they love children so it should not be a problem. We can use your rooms until we have new ones constructed that would be more convenient for both of us. And any other situation that arises will be dealt with by both of us so there's no need to worry."
"Oh Albus what did I do to deserve you," she whispered then kissed him gently on the lips.
"I'm still trying to figure out what I did to be blessed with you," he said lovingly. He gave her a passionate kiss and then said, "I believe it is time for me to leave for the night."
He pulled away from her and headed for the door only to be stopped when she cast a locking spell on the door. He turned to her expecting an explanation for her actions. She merely shrugged and offered, "I just wanted to sleep in your arms tonight." His breathe caught in his throat at her unexpected proposal. "Is it all right if I sleep next to you tonight," she asked huskily.
Albus nodded, swept her in his arms and carried her to her bed chamber. He divested her of her robe covering her gown and grinned when she sighed contently. She then shed his robe and gave him a series of breathy kisses. He managed to unpin her hair and shake it loose before she even noticed. She pulled away from him and crawled into bed. When she was settled she beckoned him to join her. He crawled beside her and snuggled close to her. He draped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. She sighed contently again and whispered, "Goodnight Albus."
"Goodnight my love," he replied sleepily as they drifted off to a peaceful sleep.