A/N: Slightly shorter chapter this week. I wanted to keep things light in this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy the direction of this. I know a lot of you have been hoping for this scene to come up at some point. Next chapter will be a bit more plot heavy but I'll be incorporating more lighter scenes in the next few chapters as well. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, as always I appreciate hearing everyone's thoughts and feedback :) Also DissyBlack, true true, I'll keep that in mind for the future. I think the fact that I finally wrote a sex scene for these two made me feel a bit weird cause it was so long anticipated.

Hope you all enjoy and I'll see everyone next Sunday for the next update!

Chapter Twenty Three | Quae fuerunt vitia mores sunt

[What once were vices are now customs]

It's pitch black. There is rock beneath her feet, uneven and damp. She can sense salt upon the air, and hear the sound of waves in the distance. It echoes through the blackness in a manner that might almost be considered soothing, but for the faint rattling sound that pervades it. Each lapping wave is accompanied by a strange, jarring lurch. It sounds like a footstep trying to gain traction against unsteady gravel, slipping every other moment and loosening stone in the process.

She turns towards where she thinks the sound is coming from, edging back as apprehension curls through her. A wince flutters over her face when her shoulder hits a jagged stone in the rock wall that rises up behind her. For some reason, she isn't confused as to where she is, or why she is there. She feels only apprehensive panic, quiet at first but quickly building the more the blackness presses into her. She can't see. It is as if her senses have been doused like a snuffed candle. She can only sense the salt in the wind and hear the sound of those lurching footsteps and crashing waves.

Fear begins to pluck at her, overturning the uneasiness. There is danger in the air. She can feel it prickling at her skin. It is there in the darkness, breathing through the stone behind her, winding through the air with each thundering wave…

Coldness, too. She's never been so cold. Her fingers feel raw as she begins to search through her robes for her wand. She needs to find it. The footsteps are getting nearer, and so is the sense of danger.

She freezes when a low, strangled groan pierces the stillness. It sounds like something from a nightmare and it echoes through the stone in a dizzying manner, making her unsure where it is coming from. She turns her head from side to side, trying to see through the pitch blackness before her, scrabbling through her pockets as she tries to find the one thing that might save her –

"Vivian," she hears, and freezes yet again, for the sound is set in that disturbingly strangled voice. It's so deep and gravelly that it can hardly be differentiated from its prior groan. It scrapes along the lower octaves of sound just like the footsteps scrape along the loose rock and send it scattering in a dozen directions.

Her heart leaps into her throat.

"Vivian," the voice says again. This time, there is a strange amusement in it, and it sounds almost familiar to her.

She can't find her wand. It isn't in her pocket, nor tucked into her robes, or slipped into her sleeve. It's gone and she's defenseless, and the footsteps are getting louder.

Fear catches her so hard in the chest that she can't breathe.

"This one is…almost…human…" she hears. It's the same low, strangled groan, but it's set within the pitch of Adrian Mulciber's voice, as if the two have somehow collided together.

When she forces herself to pull in a startled breath, she smells more than wind upon the air, now. There is another scent to accompany it, but she can't quite put her finger on it. It smells like something forgotten, decayed and ill. It fills her nose and makes her cough. It's suddenly so pungent that she can't smell the salt in the wind anymore. It's now only this, and it seems to spread through the air like a dense smog.

"Vivian…" the voice whispers again, but this time, when she looks up, she sees something through the pitch blackness. It makes her tremble back into the stone, letting out a terrified sound.

She forgets to keep looking for her wand. She forgets everything except for the pair of glowing orange eyes that are staring at her from across the way. They're the only things she can see through the darkness. They're so bright that they highlight the features of the face they belong to – the long nose, the pale white skin, the cracked lips – and she shudders back even more as if she's trying to disappear into the rock behind her. Only she can't, and the glowing eyes keep lurching forward. One pale hand lifts up as the body stumbles over the loose rock and reaches for her…

Her eyes open with a harsh gasping breath. As if her body is on autopilot, she feels herself being pushed up onto her elbows, adrenaline spiking through her as her eyes dart across the room she suddenly finds herself in. It takes her a moment to realize that she's in her bedroom in the cottage and that sunlight is pooling warmly across every surface, lighting up each corner that might otherwise be darkened.

A shaky, trembling exhale pushes past her lips. It was only a dream. She collapses back into the pillows beneath her and breathes in deeply, trying to calm her racing heart.

It was only a dream, she repeats in her mind.

Her head is spinning with the image of those lurching, glowing eyes. It takes her another moment to realize that she is alone in bed, and as she turns onto her back to eye the mussed up sheets on the other side, she begins to remember why she happens to be stark naked.

Right. She focuses on that instead of the disturbing dream, and as each memory of the night before returns to her, she feels her heart calm more and more. It was only a dream, she tells herself again. There's no need to focus on it. She'd rather push it into some forgotten corner of her mind, at least for now. Still, it isn't as easy as she'd like to claim. Even as she tries to focus on Sirius's touch and the things they had done last night, the glowing eyes are not far from her mind. After a long moment of laying in bed and trying to press the dream away, Vivian releases a frustrated sound and sits up. She would have liked to wake up next to Sirius this morning, but she's glad that he hadn't witnessed her nightmare. He would only worry, and it would ruin the peaceful atmosphere of the cottage.

She sits on the edge of the mattress for a moment, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt at unknotting it. She hadn't combed it out last night and she's now thoroughly regretting it, but the sound of a pot clanging from the kitchen has her pausing in the action. Sirius is only a room away. The thought calms her even more, and the next breath she takes is much steadier. She suddenly wants nothing more than to bury herself against his chest in some wayward effort to seek safety. She always feels safe with him.

Mind made up, Vivian stands to retrieve some clothing. Her legs feel weak and somewhat sore, but it's a good soreness. It's a physical sign of her newfound relationship with Sirius, and she can't bring herself to mind as she reaches down to grab the discarded shirt he had been wearing the night before, which she distinctly recalls throwing onto the floor of the hallway. He must have tossed it into the room on his way out in some haphazard attempt at tidying up, not bothering to actually put it away. She releases a fond scoff at the thought and slips it on. They're both terrible at this domestic act, really. It's a good thing they've got magic to help them along, otherwise there would likely be a thick layer of dust on every surface by now. And a burnt down kitchen, for that matter.

Speaking of…

"Good morning," Vivian greets as she steps into the kitchen after spending a few minutes in the bathroom. She leans against the threshold with a slight smile, allowing her eyes to do a slow perusal of Sirius's form. He's only wearing boxer briefs. She thoroughly appreciates it.

Sirius raises his eyebrows playfully at her stare. "Good morning," he says back. His voice is a shade more alluring than she expects, no doubt thoroughly enjoying the sight she makes, too.

Their eyes meet. Vivian battles away a larger smile and fails. Sirius doesn't even try. For a moment, they just stand there grinning at each other like idiots who have shared some sort of mischievous moment that no one else is privy to.

"You look good in my shirt. Are you wearing anything else?" he asks almost idly.

She almost laughs at the hopeful quality of his voice.

"No," she tells him, eyes flashing as she watches him hum lowly and study her figure once more, a little too interested.

Another moment quietly passes before Vivian sends him a crooked grin and pushes off from the doorway.

"So…how do people usually spend their morning afters?" she wonders, stepping over to where he's standing. He's got a coffee mug sitting next to him on the counter and from the looks of it, he's in the process of making scrambled eggs. Thankfully, it's hard to mess up scrambled eggs to the point where they're inedible, so at least they'll be having a decent breakfast this morning.

Sirius drags her closer with a thoughtful hum.

"Well…I'm not really sure. I've never had a morning after before," he admits with a shrug, sending her a grin of his own before tugging her stolen shirt aside to lay a kiss upon the crux of her neck. His hands tighten around her waist as his lips move up her neck. Between the breezy kisses he drops against her, he murmurs, "In future morning afters, I'll probably drag you back to bed, of course. Ravish you and all that."

Vivian hums just as thoughtfully and replies, "Ah. But not this particular one?"

He chuckles at the slight crease of disappointment in her voice and pulls back to catch her eye. She tugs him closer to kiss him, too impatient to wait for his response. He sinks against her with another low sound and then playfully nips at her bottom lip, which sends a delicious smattering of heat through her.

"No," he tells her, to her dismay. "This particular one is going to be spent eating breakfast outside on the patio."

She huffs, which makes him chuckles again in amusement.

"I'd rather drag you back to bed," she mutters at him with a frown.

The smirk that captures his mouth is so intense that it makes his eyes crinkle brightly. He obviously enjoyed hearing that, because a moment later he's puffing his chest out a bit and smugly saying, "I knew you wouldn't be able to get enough of me once you had a taste."

Vivian rolls her eyes at him and returns, "For one hour, could you at least try to get your ego under control?"

He sends her a playfully narrowed look for that.

"Just let me bask in the fact that you find me irresistible, Godric. Don't ruin it for me," he sniffs, then, in a more serious voice, he asks, "How are you doing?"

The sudden turn in conversation makes her pause. She knows that he's not asking about the physical repercussions of their night due to it being her first time. The way he's looking at her is far too solemn for that, and she wonders if perhaps he's aware of her restless sleep after all. She tightens her arms around him and buries her face into his neck so that he can't see her expression – and also because she doesn't want to remember the pale hand that had reached for her in her dream.

"I'll be alright," she tells him. She sounds confident enough, but she doubts it fully convinces him because she hears him sigh as he gathers her closer.

"…You're sure?" he asks against her hair.

Vivian grumbles at him. "Can't we enjoy our morning and just pretend everything is normal for a few hours?"

He heaves her closer into his arms and nods against her hair. "Alright. If that's what you want."

This ready agreement makes her nod, too, turning her head to press a kiss beneath his jaw. Against it, she murmurs, "I do."

She knows he's a little uncertain about how to handle the events of the gala. They both are. There's something different in the air between them, a strange alteration that she can't quite put her finger on. So what if she doesn't want to talk about what had happened, or to tell him about her nightmare? She's only worried that acknowledging her actions in too much detail will have a ripple effect that she won't be able to control. She feels as though she needs to ensure that everything is moving in its proper direction, to command the trajectory to the best of her abilities. She doesn't want to move off course, and she doesn't wish to make him so concerned that he won't be able to focus on more important matters, such as staying alive during his missions for the Order.

Despite this, though, she's never felt closer to him, and she's sure that this alteration won't have any lasting effect on their relationship. She feels confident in that, too, as they both head outside with plates of breakfast to sit in the patio chairs at the back of the house.

The air is chilly this morning, now that summer has passed them by. It's really a bit too cold to be out here wearing so little, but that's the thing about magic. It always comes in handy no matter the situation. Before long, Vivian has set up a warding spell to keep the cold air out, invisible to the eye so that they can look out over the misty green hills. In the other direction is the sea. The cry of gulls can be heard in the distance and the sun gleams through the clouds every now and again, sparkling down upon each dewy blade of grass with a magic of its own. And even though the patio is still in a state of disrepair, with weeds growing in between its slates and the iron chairs somewhat rusty, Vivian feels as if she has stepped into yet another version of herself as she sits next to Sirius. There's a refreshing energy in the air now. It fizzles with potential, which grows every time she turns to look at him.

They sit for a while after they finish eating in comfortable silence, until Vivian grows bored and stands up. Sirius turns to look at her, about to ask her where she's going, but before he can voice the question, she's depositing herself into his lap and curling her arms around his neck. He raises an eyebrow at her but doesn't complain. Instead, he merely gathers her into his arms and lets out a low chuckle when she begins to press kisses over his jaw.

"Are you cold?" he murmurs, inclining his head to give her more access. The light kisses are irresistible.

She smirks, and murmurs back, "Yes. Very."

Another low chuckle leaves him. His warm hand travels up her bare thigh, enjoying the way she's planting kisses against him. He doesn't bother calling her out on her lie. They both know she isn't cold.

"You know what? We should do something today," Sirius suddenly says, turning his head to look at her.

She pauses to raise a suggestive eyebrow at him and smirk, "Mmm…what did you have in mind?" Her hand slides over his and she pulls it further up her leg until it's resting on her bare hip. His mouth twitches up into a crooked grin at that little move.

"Merlin, I've created a monster," he murmurs laughingly, but doesn't remove his hand, nor does he attempt to pull away. He leans in to press a kiss to her mouth, slow and lazy, before saying, "I was thinking more along the lines of going out."

He's still worried about her. Any moment now, he's expecting to see that sliver of guilt return to her eyes, darkening them in much the same way as they'd been the night before. He reckons that trying to ignore it or brush the whole thing aside would only backfire on them, but at the same time, he wants to get her mind off of it. From what he can tell, Vivian seems to be entirely on board with this…but her current ideas differ from his somewhat.

"Going out? Where?" she wonders even as her hand slides down his chest.

He ignores the touch to respond, "I don't know. Er…how about a trip into Muggle London or something…"

His attempts at ignoring her movements don't get him very far. Vivian's hand is now tracing along the edge of his boxer briefs, and when her fingers slip down to rub against him, whatever coherent thought he is trying to form promptly shatters.

"…Vivian," he murmurs. His tone is set in the barest hint of a warning. It doesn't really surprise him when she pretends not to hear it. To be fair, he doesn't exactly try to stop her when she slips her hand into the fabric to touch him properly.

His breath shortens. With a shallow laugh, he tilts his head against the back of the chair and groans, "If you keep at this, we're not going to be at all productive today…"

Vivian grins at him, her eyes gleaming with the embers of that wildfire he knows so well, and merely replies, "Maybe our definition of 'productive' differs, then."

He barks out another short laugh, shoots her a wicked smile, and murmurs, "I knew you wouldn't be able to keep your hands off me, Godric."

The moment this leaves his mouth, it's quickly followed by a gasping inhale, courtesy of the revenge she imposes upon him in the form of picking up her pace. His reaction summons a wicked smirk of her own. He's giving her all sorts of new ideas as to how to get him back for that dreadful nickname.

All discussion of them going to Muggle London is put on hold when Vivian leans down to kiss him. For a moment, all Sirius can think about is the way she drags his bottom lip between her teeth, sending warm shivers spiraling through him. Then, a moment after that, all he can think about is the way she's shifting in his lap, giving him one last, promising kiss, and whispering, "Come back to bed with me, Sirius."

Needless to say, his attempt at making plans is well and truly shot to hell after that.

By the time they finally drag themselves out of the cottage, it's almost three o'clock. Their slow morning had turned into an equally slow afternoon. They had spent most of it wearing as little as they could, but now they are both bundled up in jackets to brave the chill of autumn, finally deciding to make good on those haphazard plans Sirius had come up with earlier.

As much as Vivian would have enjoyed spending the rest of the day in much the same manner as the morning, she finds herself eager to take that trip into Muggle London. They don't have an actual agenda for places to visit, but it will surely be a novelty for her regardless. She's always enjoyed venturing into the muggle world and she doesn't have very many opportunities to do so without there being an Order meeting hanging over their shoulders or some other get together with the Marauders. Spending a few hours there with just Sirius for company is something she intends on taking full advantage of.

They decide to go through The Leaky Cauldron to avoid the risk of being seen apparating. Since moving in with Sirius, Vivian's wardrobe has taken a bit of a turn, and though she would have preferred to wear a set of robes, Sirius had insisted upon the muggle clothes they had purchased some months before at one of the shops they had visited previously. As such, she doesn't stick out nearly as much as she otherwise would.

Still…

"These trousers are so uncomfortable," she mutters as they walk down the street. She much prefers the soft fabrics of her usual wardrobe. She doesn't know how Sirius can stand wearing those denim jeans all the time.

At her side, he shrugs, "They make your arse look great, though."

The look she sends him for that comment has him laughing and smoothly dodging the retributory elbow that's aimed for his stomach.

"What?" he demands playfully, putting a dramatic hand to his chest. "It's a compliment."

Vivian rolls her eyes at him, trying to keep the amusement from her expression lest it spur him on. Unfortunately, judging from the way his mouth pulls into a higher smirk, she reckons that she isn't very successful.

"Where is this shop, anyway?" he asks as they slow to a halt at an intersection. In front of them, muggle cars roll past. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and glances around.

The area is somewhat familiar to him. After all, they are relatively close to the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron. He doesn't know these streets too well, though. He never needed to enter Muggle London by way of Diagon Alley during his own explorations before running away from home. There was no need to, when all he had to do was step out of his door and he was already there. The one good thing about his childhood home had been its direct proximity to London in all its muggle glory, and he had taken full advantage of it.

Vivian nods her head across the street and says, "It's right over there."

He turns in the direction she had gestured to and sees a little corner shop that he hadn't noticed before. From their current vantage point, it looks very unassuming. He had completely missed it during his initial perusal of the street.

Taking her hand, Sirius waits for a lull in the traffic before pulling her across the way, jogging a bit to avoid getting honked at by those strange muggle contraptions. She had mentioned the shop briefly on their way through The Leaky Cauldron and he had decided to humor her. She hadn't been very successful at hiding the interest in her eyes. In any case, the thought of discovering an old hangout of hers had been too tempting, even if it is a bookstore (which Sirius does not often deign to step foot in, naturally).

"So this is where you bought your little collection of evil dictionaries," he muses, nudging her a bit as they head inside the shop. He shoots her an amused glance at the thought of said dictionaries, remembering all too well how shocked he had been when he'd first discovered that they were actually romance novels. It had been inconceivable to him that Vivian Blair would read muggle literature, but that had been before he had realized just how blind he was to the truth of her.

He likes to think that he isn't quite as blind these days.

She sends him a small smile and tugs him into the store. It's definitely not his type of shop. Not that he doesn't enjoy reading every now and again, but it certainly isn't a voracious interest of his. Still, despite this, he finds the place rather comfortable. There are bookshelves along every wall, each bearing little plaques that say 'Non-Fiction' or 'Historical' or such things. Though much smaller and more condensed, the place reminds him of the library at Hogwarts, only without the dreaded Madam Pince lurking behind her counter and sending him distrustful glowers every other second. As fun as it had been to get on her nerves, he can't say he misses the woman.

They head towards a narrow staircase that leads to the second floor, hands still linked together. It's been quite a while since Vivian had been here last. So much has changed since then that it feels strangely jarring, especially to be entering this familiar bookstore with Sirius alongside her. The last time she was in here, she never would've thought it possible that she would ever be walking through these aisles with Sirius Black. It feels surreal in a way she isn't quite expecting, and the feeling only grows when they start perusing the shelves. Sirius is obviously not half as interested in the store as she is, but he still makes a show of looking at the books regardless, if only because there's nothing else to do.

"What?" Sirius asks when he catches her glancing at him. He's holding a book in his hands, leafing through it without really paying much attention to its contents.

Vivian furrows her brow a bit and hedges, "Just…you, in a bookstore."

This brief explanation makes him roll his eyes.

"I have entered a bookstore before, you know," he sniffs, shoving the book back into place on the shelf.

Vivian snorts in the back of her throat and mutters, "It's just a bit odd seeing you holding a book."

"Excuse me. I've held plenty of books before."

"Right."

"Just because I'm not a nerd like Tosspot Clarke – "

"Why are you bringing Gavin into this?"

She turns over another book to glance at the back, reading through the description while Sirius leans against the shelf beside her.

"You and Clarke have bonded over your shared love of nerdy things, is all," Sirius shrugs.

Vivian shoots him a glance, brow lifting.

He pretends not to notice.

"I really don't understand why you're so jealous of Gavin," Vivian breezily says after a moment, which Sirius does not appreciate.

Looking vaguely offended, he swiftly denies, "For the last time, I'm not jealous of him."

Her mouth twitches up into a Slytherin Smirk, but instead of teasing him for the way he says this as he expects, Vivian only murmurs, "Good, because there's no reason for you to be, especially considering how we spent our day."

This shuts him up fairly well. His prior offense vanishes in wake of this reminder, and Sirius sends her a roguish grin as he shuffles closer to where she's standing. She laughs and steps away, but he only hooks his arms around her as he edges up behind her body, pressing that roguish smile against her neck.

"Sirius, I'm trying to read this," she complains.

He scoffingly replies, "You could hardly take your hands off me before."

She smirks, "Maybe I like books more than you."

It's quiet for a moment, then –

"Sirius!" she exclaims a little louder than she means, trying to quell her laughter when he begins to tickle her in retribution. "You're going to get us kicked out," she laughs, attempting to wrangle herself out of his hold.

He chuckles and swoops in to press a brief kiss to her cheek before releasing her at last, shuffling back a few paces. Luckily, no one comes over to tell them off.

"I think I'll go sit down in one of those chairs while you try to decide whether you really do like books more than me," he playfully tells her, grabbing a book at random before sauntering off to claim one of the chairs by the windows.

He sends her a little winking grin over his shoulder as he does, much to her amusement. She exhales with a laugh and watches him get settled before shaking her head and returning to her task. Suddenly, it doesn't feel quite as strange to have him with her in this shop. He's become a part of her life, and even though she wouldn't have expected it, in the times before, she thinks it would be stranger still if everything was the same as it had been prior to the start of their relationship. She's grown accustomed to his presence. She can't imagine life without Sirius, which make her smile secretly to herself as she sends him a lingering glance.

He's lounging in the chair, looking more attractive than he's got any right to be as he flips lazily through the book he'd grabbed. As if he can feel her eyes on him, he glances up, too, and his mouth curves into a slow smile when their eyes meet. Vivian sends a slow smile back, appreciative of the sight he makes, before stepping into the next aisle to continue her browsing.

Yes, she's grown accustomed to him in ways she never thought she would, and after an hour or so of whiling away the afternoon between the aisles of the bookstore, she reckons she's very much okay with that. They leave a while later, a brown paper bag laden with books tucked in one arm and Sirius in the other, and though her mind is still quietly plagued with thoughts better left alone, she thinks that – in this moment, at least – the world is as near to perfect as it ever could be.