Author's Note: First let me thank everyone who had reviewed, alerted, or put this story on their favorites it means a lot to me.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own them? I'm just playing with someone else's toys and do return them in the same shape I have found them (well that may not always be the case).

He stopped but didn't turn to face her, she didn't know what else to say. They had come quite a ways in the month that they had been talking again, but at this moment she had no idea what to say. He finally got it, or a portion of it. She didn't feel like she expected to feel at this moment, she didn't feel the triumph that she thought she would if she ever made him feel like he made her feel.

Severus stopped but he couldn't turn around and face her, not now. Not now that he truly understood how he ripped her apart for doing nothing more than caring whether or not he spent the rest of his life in Azakban. Finally he found his voice and hoped like hell that it sounded normal when he spoke.

"Hermione, I…. I have to go. All I do…. It doesn't matter I have to leave." He left off the 'so I don't hurt you anymore.'

"No, stay here. Severus promise me you'll be here when I get back."

"I can't Hermione, you got your wish. I understand now."

"No…. yes it was something I wanted, but now I wish I hadn't."

"It doesn't matter, I don't want to…. Not since you walked out the door, no that's not true. For a long time before that I haven't wanted to hurt you, yet here we are years later and I'm still hurting you."

"Damn it Severus, I didn't get the chance to run from it and you won't either. You will stay here and face me, just as I had to face you."

He knew he owed her that, but he didn't know if he could do it. He didn't turn to face her still but nodded.

"Promise me you won't leave until I return at least."

"Hermione…. I promise I will be here when you return."

When the front door shut Severus sat down on the sofa, he had no idea he hurt her this badly. Yes he read her journal, but it didn't convey how bad it hurt to think someone else had their hands on her, kissing her, making love to her.

His hand went to the chain around his neck, before he started crying. This was not a pain he would have wished on anyone, but not her at all.

~~^~~SSHG~~^~~

Hermione went to the new café a few blocks over, after paying for her coffee she sat at one of the computers, unknown to Severus she had been playing around with a wireless webcam she picked up. It was sitting in her living room right now. She logged in as she was suppose to, then brought up the camera.

When she saw him sitting on the sofa she sighed knowing that he didn't bolt the moment she closed the door, then it dawned on her that his shoulders were shaking. That couldn't be right, this was Severus Snape. The cold bat of the dungeons, nothing upset him.

A little voice in her head said, 'but he cried the night he gave Harry his memories.'

"Damn it." She whispered as she logged off the computer then closed it she stopped for take out on the way back.

By the time she opened the front door tears were running down her face, she really never meant to hurt him that much. Finally she called out because she knew that he wouldn't want her to see him crying.

"I brought supper, come to the kitchen."

She tried in vain to dry her tears but no matter what she tried it didn't work, when he came into the kitchen he stood watching her swipe at her face as she set plates on the table. He walked toward her reaching out but then dropped his hand knowing that she didn't want him to touch her at all.

She turned smiling at him, it was a sad little smile then she shocked him as she stepped toward him. She still stopped a couple of feet away laying her hand on his arm she said,

"Fish and chips."

"Smells good."

"Comfort food." She said turning toward the table, he couldn't stop himself he reached out taking her hand as it left his arm. She turned back toward him as she squeezed his hand before saying,

"Very small steps, okay."

He knew what she meant, she wouldn't be jumping into bed with him any time soon but she would welcome his touch.

He let go of her hand as they sat across from one another at the table, finally she said.

"Severus, I apologize for leading you to believe that I was going on a date. I let my mind run away with itself when I shouldn't have."

"Don't apologize Hermione, you didn't do anything that I hadn't done to you or led you to think."

"But I didn't think that you….." when she stopped speaking he said.

"What? Cared enough for it to bother me?"

"Yes." She said as she swiped at her face. "It bothers me that I did that to you."

"Don't, please Hermione don't think that. It was…. A lesson for me, now I understand."

"It's a hard way to learn something."

"I…. yes it is, hell I even deserved it. Can we…. Go forward from here?" he asked and for the first time he was nervous about the answer.

"We can try."

"I cannot ask for more."

She gave him a small smile then went back to eating, he watched her through his hair when suddenly her face paled considerably. He looked up then not caring that she saw him, finally he asked.

"What wrong."

"Nothing." She said but her voice sounded off.

Finally he reached over lifting her chin to look at him, the moment he saw her eyes he knew she was in some kind of physical pain.

"Don't lie, what's wrong?"

"It must be the grease, upset my stomach. I'll be right back."

She left the table going to her room upstairs, hoping she made it before she lost her supper.

Severus knew she was lying to him, but he couldn't force her to tell him. He waited for her to come back, when she did, she looked better with more color. So he let it go for now asking,

"Do you want to work on the complaint tonight?"

"Not really, can we do it tomorrow? Maybe mid morning, I have some jobs that I need to take care of around here in the morning."

"That will be fine, can I use the floo to return tomorrow?"

"Yes, are you leaving?"

"In a little while, I haven't been sleeping well the last couple of weeks."

"I understand, how much more do you have to do to be ready for the school year?"

"Not a lot, mostly just obtaining supplies. Wait, how do you know that I'm teaching again?"

"When I asked Harry to connect the floo to your house he asked if I wanted it connected to your office at Hogwarts also. He told me that you were teaching again."

"I see, you know Minerva would love to see you."

"Maybe in the future, I just don't know if…."

"You know she never held what you did against you."

"I know, I just couldn't face any of that world after I left."

Severus stood not wanting to say anything else right now, he took their plates to the sink washing them before turning around to see Hermione's head down on the table. He slowly walked over to her squatting down before saying,

"Hermione, are you sure your okay?"

Hermione took a big breath of air before saying,

"Yes, it's something that I have to sort out myself."

He laid his hand on the back of her head smoothing her hair down, he would do anything for her but he also knew there were things that you had to deal with alone.

"I liked it better long." He said seemingly out of the blue to her.

Hermione raised her head looking into his eyes only a handful of inches from hers finally she said,

"My hair? I thought you hated it, you complained about it enough. Ever since I can remember."

"Just because I thought it would ruin potions or I didn't like having the drain in the bath stopped up doesn't mean that I didn't like you hair longer, it suited you better."

Hermione didn't know what to say, she sure didn't want to tell him it would long within six months it seemed her hair also liked being long. She was sure that by Christmas it would be past her shoulders again, her hair always grew very fast or so her mother told her.

Severus stood saying,

"I'm going, I'll see you about noon tomorrow?"

"I should be done about ten so I would think any time after that."

"I shall be here, I think we will be able to finish tomorrow then I can take it to the ministry on Monday. School starts on Thursday."

"I know, that's why I need to get these jobs around here done."

"Get some sleep Hermione."

"You too." She said as he walked into the living room to floo back to Hogwarts.

Author's Note: Comments really do make me smile and brighten my day.

Also I wanted to let you know that I have a couple of Severus/Hermione videos on youtube, the link is in my profile.