Work Text:
October 21st, 1999
The sun shone brightly through the stained glass windows, uncharacteristically so for late October in London. It's warm rays lightening the oppressing feeling that seemed to forever douse the room. For the first time since she had been here, she felt the weight briefly lift from her shoulders. What she wouldn't give to be anywhere but here.
Her eyes left the bright colored glass, straying back to the familiar visage. It looked just as it had the first time she had stepped foot in here, and despite the rapidly passing days, not much had changed.
Her sister still laid on the hospital bed, atop the sterile white sheets. Her once luscious brown hair, fanning the plush oversized pillow. Her eyes that had always overflown with so much cheer, now lay dull as she halfheartedly scanned a book to fill time. Not for the first time she wished it was her who lay on that bed and not her sister.
Her parents were sat on the other side, their shoulders hunched in silent defeat. Neither had left for long since their vigil had begun more than a week ago. Both terrified that their daughter would be gone if they left for even a moment too long. She even had to beg her distraught mother to go home and shower in the first couple days.
The sound of the door creaking open suddenly drew her attention, likely one of the nurses coming in to check on Tori's status. Her gaze flitted over to the other side of the room as the visitor stepped into the room, and she had to blink a few times to make sure she was not imagining things.
But no, her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Making his way across the room was really none other than Harry Potter himself, and for the life of her she couldn't understand why he of all people would be here.
"Harry! You came!", yelled Astoria as she bolted upright. Her voice sounding excited for the first time since she had had her episode.
Her eyes snapped back to her sister, now even more confused. She had never once mentioned knowing Potter, let alone with such familiarity. One glance at her parents and they weren't faring much better.
Potter had made his way over in the brief moment she had looked away and she got a good look at him. Gone was the scrawny boy she had gone to school with. Gone were the sunken weary eyes and the rat's nest resting on his head. Instead he looked to have filled out, finally having grown into his bones. His eyes glowed with power and his hair while still messy was tousled perfectly atop his head. She would never admit it out loud but Potter had become quite the handsome figure.
"Of course I did. Like I wouldn't come see my favorite Raven", said Potter, an easy grin forming on his face.
Her father chose to clear his throat right then, deciding to make his presence known.
"Mr. Potter, I don't believe we have gotten the chance to meet yet", said her father, reaching out an arm towards Potter," Astoria also seems to have forgotten to mention you".
"I had asked Astoria to not say anything for her own safety during the war Mr. Greengrass. I apologize if you feel slighted", replied Potter, giving her father's hand a firm shake.
"Not at all Mr. Potter, we are simply surprised. Thank you for coming by", said her father, still a little thrown off, offering Potter a seat which he graciously accepted.
The group fell into a surprisingly easy conversation. Potter was a welcome change from their daily pattern and his presence alone had significantly lifted Tori's mood. He had brought her little trinkets that he had collected as he travelled, each with its own unique story, and her sister had been overjoyed. She had oo'ed and aww'ed over every little item, her joy palpable despite the bleak atmosphere in the hospital room.
The two friends had then seamlessly transitioned to poking fun at each other while they also shared stories. All while she and their parents simply listened in silence, happy to see the life shining in Tori's eyes.
"...and she was screaming at the girls for trying to bully another student. She looked absolutely livid and despite it being five against one, she looked ready to take them all on. I stepped in before it could escalate any further. Least to say she made quite the impression upon me", finished Potter, regaling them about how they had first met.
She could clearly imagine an enraged Tori trying to protect another vulnerable student, it was just like her to put herself in harm's way if it meant she could protect others.
Slowly as the morning progressed, Tori's eyes began to flutter close despite how much she fought to stay awake. The illness was making her weaker by the day and the added excitement of Potter's presence proved to be too much for her. With a final, "I missed you Harry" she fell fast asleep.
She immediately felt the mood shift and Potter led out a heavy sigh.
"While Tori and I didn't meet until my fifth year, she quickly became one of my most treasured friends. Her unyielding support meant so much to me before I left the school and to see her like this, I feel so useless. She doesn't deserve this", whispered Potter, his eyes shining as he gazed at her slumbering sister.
She felt her own eyes begin to water. Her sister had touched so many lives, yet here she lay, at death's door. It was then that she also connected some dots from her sister's past.
"You know, she never mentioned you by name but she always spoke highly of her friend who taught her how to defend herself. I simply never connected the dots. Thank you for helping her", she said looking at Potter, truly grateful for what he had done.
His watery green eyes caught her own.
"You don't have to thank me for anything. She was just as there for me if not more", he said, giving her a small smile.
"Tori has told me about your family's past and the curse that you bear. I will look through my family's archive to see if I can find anything. Please feel free to reach out to me should you need anything", continued Potter, his face set in a grim determination. He got up from his chair, and with one last look at Tori, he bid them farewell.
She watched Potter's back as he left the hospital room, and she just knew if anyone could save her, it would be him. She wouldn't give up on her own research of course, but Potter simply had a knack for doing the impossible. It was also very evident he cared deeply for her sister and he wouldn't easily give up. The boy had appeared out of nowhere today and his visit had been a welcome one. A tiny part of her hoped he would be back.
She silently wished him luck and fell back to her usual routine as she sat by Tori's bed.
...
December 3rd, 1999
Winter had come rolling in,and it had come swiftly. It seemed like it was just yesterday that the chestnut trees had begun to lose their leaves, and today they lay completely bare.
Not much had changed inside the hospital room other than Tori's deteriorating health. Her parents had been forced to keep moving. Her dad's Wizengamot duties could no longer be held off and her mother's apothecary had to be reopened. She remained steadfast by Tori's bed, giving her what comfort she could, and going through tome after tome looking for anything that would help her.
Tori had become a shell of who she used to be and despite her best attempts to live life until the very end, she was losing to the playful, bubbly little sister would barely even smile anymore and she had little energy to do anything but lay in her bed. Even most of her friends had stopped their periodic visits now, and out of all of them ,she knew it was Potter she missed the most.
Potter had yet to visit again, and although he had sent her sister a couple letters since then, he hadn't said much. It irked her that the boy had seemed to care so much for Tori, yet he couldn't even come see her again. She knew he had no obligation to come visit her sister, but for some reason his absence felt like a betrayal.
As if on cue, the door to their room opened right at that moment, and in walked Potter. Right away she could tell he looked tired. His eyes had dark circles ringing around them and his beard desperately needed a trim. Even his outfit seemed to have been thrown together at the last minute.
He shot her a tired smile before quietly taking the seat across from her, his gaze then immediately going to her sister.
"Hey Tori, I'm sorry I haven't been able to come visit", he spoke, his voice soft and apologetic.
Tori said nothing for a moment, her eyes simply taking in his appearance causing Potter to shift in his seat a little. The irony of her sick sister making the man-who-conquered shift in his seat was not lost on her.
Ultimately Tori decided not to say anything about it.
"It's ok, Harry. You must have been busy", she said instead.
She could see Harry visibly relax a little at that, and he leaned forward with an easy grin.
"You are not going to believe who Ron is going out with…." he started.
And it was as if he had never left. Tori's face slowly gained a glow with every minute that he spent there and soon she was laughing at some of the more ridiculous things he had to share. She appreciated Potter trying to make her feel included, as he explained things that clearly Tori already knew or elaborated on a previous event she hadn't been aware of.
But much sooner than she deserved, Tori's eyes began to flutter close, losing the fight with her consciousness. Her hand shakily reached out towards Potter and he gently took it in his as she fell into the land of Morpheus.
Silence filled the hospital room once more, neither she nor Potter saying a word for some time. Both looking over the slumbering form of the youngest Greengrass.
"I cannot imagine what you must be going through", said Harry, not looking away from Tori.
She swallowed the emotions that immediately threatened to well up at his words. She had always prided herself on keeping a tight reign on her emotions but that seemed to have all but vanished now. It was all she could do to not cry anytime she thought of what was to come.
"I'm hanging in there", she muttered, not believing it herself.
It was only when he looked up from the bed, and over to her, that a tear broke loose. Because in those deep green eyes, she saw how deeply he cared for her. So many friends and families had passed through this room, all truly sorry, but none really understanding what it meant to watch a loved one slowly inch their way away from your life. Someone outside of her parents understood what it was like to be so helpless.
Another tear broke loose, the dam threatening to completely give out.
She barely noticed Potter walk around the bed and over to her but the moment his arms wrapped around hers in a gentle hug, she let go.
Her arms snapped up to desperately cling to his robes, sobs racking her whole body as she cried in the crook of his neck. The pressure, the stress, the worry, it all came flooding out like a tidal wave and she only clung on harder. And Potter said nothing, and just held her tight.
She didn't know how long she had cried in his arms, but by the time she was done, she felt completely drained. But she also felt better at having finally let go of all that she had bottled up.
Eventually, she let go of his robes and slowly pulled back, her puffy eyes watching as he conjured a small handkerchief for her. It even had a small embroidered snake in the corner, making her let out something between a hiccup and a snort. Very flattering.
"Thank you Potter", she mumbled looking away, a little embarrassed now that she was done.
"Anytime, and I prefer Harry. Especially for girls I've made cry", he joked.
"Right, is that how you got in Chang's pants?", she asked, very glad that he was acting like nothing had happened.
"Hey! Who told you about that!", he exclaimed, poking her side.
She couldn't help the laughter that escaped her at his affronted tone. She really had either completely lost hold of her emotions or it was just Potter.
"The rumor mill doesn't keep much a secret, you should know that better than any", she replied.
She heard an exaggerated groan come from him, followed by grumblings about nosy snakes and she let out another watery chuckle.
"You really are nothing like what they make you out to be", she told him.
"Neither are you", he replied and she looked back to see him staring at her with a strange intense look in his eyes.
"Why didn't you come visit her?", she finally asked, to get away from the unfamiliar feeling creeping up inside of her.
He immediately shrunk down into himself. "I have been trying to find a cure, I won't quit until I do", he answered.
And he was gone giving her one final smile.
"Bye Harry", she called out in the quiet hospital room.
...
March 7th, 2000
The usual stillness permeated the hospital room. Nothing much had changed either. The same bed, the same sheets, the same equipment, yet today it felt all too different.
Tori lay in her bed, fast asleep, but even in sleep she looked uneasy. Her face looked gaunt and her skin blue and patchy, even her breaths came out in shallow heaves.
She was sat on her usual chair by the hospital bed, a tome resting on her lap but her mind remained far far away. Her heart felt like a lead weight deep inside her and with every hour that passed, it only felt heavier.
Tori was dying. That had always been an eventuality but now that eventuality was here. The healer had come by yesterday to tell them that she had at most a couple days left. Her parents had immediately fallen distraught, they had cried, despaired, and pleaded to the Healer to do anything to save their daughter. She had only felt hollow, a failure. She was supposed to be the smart one, the powerful one, yet she couldn't even save her little sister from death's grasp. And the feeling had only grown the longer she sat there.
Tori had only smiled when she had heard the news. It was like she had been ready and she had known all along it was inevitable. She had barely managed to rasp out that she loved them before the pain had been too excruciating and she had to be sedated.
Now they just sat there and waited. Just her, her sister, and their parents. They had told nobody of the news and instead chosen to continue their quiet vigil, like they had been for the last day.
A noise from the door rang through the room, but she didn't look up. Soft footsteps approached the bed, but instead of walking past her to check on Tori's health, they stopped next to her.
"Mr. Potter?", asked her mother, sounding unsure.
She looked up at the name, turning to the person beside her, and she understood why her mother sounded so unsure.
Potter loo.. . Harry looked like he hadn't seen daylight in months and like he had aged decades. His beard had grown down to his neck with his hair almost catching up to it. His eyes had dark circles and sunk down into their sockets. Even his hands looked like they had been dipped in ink and left to soak. He looked nothing like what he had just three months ago.
"Mr. Potter, are you alright?", asked her mother again, when he didn't respond.
A heavy sigh came from the man, and he pulled a stool to himself as he sunk down into it.
"I had feared I was too late, I had lost track of time", he whispered, his hands coming to take his glasses off his face and cleaning them off, making him look even older.
He sounded so very tired that she almost reached out to squeeze his hand.
"What happened to you?", she asked instead, searching his haggard face.
"I..I couldn't bear to loose another friend without trying", he answered, his eyes looking haunted as he put the glasses back on to his face. She only knew half of what he had gone through during the war and she could only imagine the weight he carried.
"How long does she have?", he asked after a moment, and he reached inside his robe looking for something. Then he pulled out a single vial from within.
"A day or two", she replied, eyeing the shimmering liquid inside the vial. He had not actually done it had he?
He nodded as if he had expected it and turned to face her completely.
He reached forward and slowly grabbed the hand that had been to her side and slid the vial he had brought into her palm. He then closed her fingers around the vial and his gaze froze her to the spot.
"Daphne", he said, and she felt her heart beat a little faster. He had never said her name before. "I have delved so deep into books that I lost track of where I started. I tore apart entire libraries and hunted down every expert for a cure. I am not even sure if this will work but this is the best that I could do. I want you to give this to Tori when she is awake, make sure she takes all of it."
With that he let go of her hand.
Immediately she went to protest. He should be the one to give her the potion, but he fervently shook his head.
"I could never forgive myself if I gave her a glimmer of hope and tore it away from her hands soon after. If it is you, she will not question it. I will be at Potter Manor if you need me, I have allowed you in through the wards. For now I need to head back, I fear I cannot keep my eyes open for another hour".
WIth that, he swiftly got up from his stool, and with one last look at Tori, he made towards the door. But right before he walked out he stopped, and
faced the three of them.
"I trust you all will keep the source of that vial between yourselves"
And then he was gone.
It took her a moment to process what had just happened as she gazed at the vial in her hands. The light glinted off it as she rolled it in her hand. There was no doubt in her mind that the potion would work, just as she had no doubt that he had once again done what should have been impossible. Her heart felt like it was lodged in her throat, both because of the man who did so much asking nothing in return and for her sister who might still have a chance.
"Do you trust him, Daphne?", asked her father, and she was startled. She had forgotten that they were still here.
But the answer was easy. "Yes"
Even without Tori's resounding approval of Harry, he had done nothing but shown honesty in her interactions with him.
"Then we can never be grateful enough for what he has done here for us. Even if it should not work, it is clear he spared nothing to get here", said her father, his voice shaking with emotion.
So they waited, the vial never leaving her hands. Too afraid that it would disappear or break anywhere else.
It was only a few hours later that Tori finally came to. Her eyes fluttered open and they gave a brief survey of the room like she always did.
With clammy hands she got up from her chair, Tori's eyes immediately looking at her. She gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she uncorked the vial in her hands and shakily she brought it to Tori's lips. And wordlessly Tori drank the shimmering liquid as she tilted it back for her.
Her heart was now in her throat, if she listened close she could probably hear it with how loudly it was beating. She didn't know what to expect, if anything at all. For all she knew it would take weeks or months to work, even if it did work.
Then Tori started glowing.
Quite literally from the inside, like her every nerve had suddenly started picking up luminescence. First it started at her core, and like an expanding spiderweb, it grew outwards. It climbed up her bruised neck, her frail hands, her weak legs, but Tori looked like she was in no pain. She was simply looking on curiously as her face too began to glow. Soon her entire body was glowing, and she looked almost ethereal as she laid atop the white bed sheets. The glow pulsed once, twice, and just as quickly it had begun, it started to fade.
But as the glow receded, her hands didn't look frail anymore, her bruises were no longer there, and her face began to look exactly like it had months ago when she was healthy and well.
It only took a fraction of a second before her mother had jumped off her seat and gathered her youngest child off her bed. Her sobs echoing off the walls, as she cried happy tears. Her father followed a second later, his arms covering the two figures on the bed in a desperate hug.
She felt her own eyes begin to tear up as she took it all in. She was going to be ok, she wasn't going to die. The curse, after thousands of years, had been broken.
When a small arm reached out to her from the huddle on the bed, she too began to cry, and she joined them on the bed.
...
March 8th, 2000
It had been an incredibly draining morning. Well really the last twelve hours or so. She had been inseparable from Tori and really it had been a relay of tears between them and their mother.
Eventually one of the nurses had gotten wind of Tori's complete turnaround from her last diagnosis so their room had been a massive hub of activity as Healers came in and out, trying to figure out how she was so healthy again. They had agreed to say nothing about the vial or even having given Tori anything so that meant the healers were left scratching their heads. They had even brought in some medical experts who also couldn't find anything.
That had lasted well into the night and briefly into the morning before her father had put his foot down and kicked them all out. Tori would still be at the hospital for a couple more days to monitor her health but she would be out in no time.
She had left the hospital and was now home briefly to clean up. She took the best shower she had had in months. And now she needed to contact Harry.
She walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder.
"Potter Manor", she enunciated, and the world spun in green flames before spitting her out on the other side.
She dusted herself as she walked out of the fireplace and she was immediately greeted by a well dressed little elf.
"Welcomes miss to Potter Manor, Master lets us know to expect you. I's be Ruby", came her squeaky voice.
"Hello Ruby, is Harry awake?", she asked.
"Naughty Master bes falling asleep on the couch again. Master still bees asleep", came the answer and she tried not to laugh at Ruby's affronted tone.
"Thank you Ruby, can you show me to him?", she asked, unsure why she had asked that when she could have just asked Ruby to wake him up.
Ruby agrees and she asks her to follow as she starts walking away. Her eyes wander as she follows, taking it all in. The Manor itself doesn't seem overtly large, and it seems to have been tastefully decorated. Giant birch beams made the high ceilings feel incredibly homey along with all the art pieces hung on the walls. The Potters rich history and pride as guardians of their land was obvious from all the honors they had been awarded throughout history. And it seemed their line had produced another, one she personally had to thank for.
Ruby led her to a small family living room before popping away, and there laying on the couch, fast asleep, was Harry. And despite the hair, and the beard, she found it incredibly endearing to see him curled up on the couch like he was. He hadn't even taken off his glasses before he had passed out.
She shook herself, mentally reprimanding herself for thinking those thoughts.
"Harry"
"Harry!"
"POTTER!"
Harry bolted up right, his hair flying in every direction and his glasses dangling from one ear.
She tried to hide the laughter, she really did.
When he finally got his bearings, he made sure to give her an evil stink eye as he rubbed the sleep off his face.
"When I gave you access through the wards, I hadn't been expecting a banshee you know", he grouched.
"I was softer the first two times but you didn't wake up so I had no choice", she shrugged with a smile on her face.
And it was like a light switch had gone off in his head. He jerked up from the couch.
"Did it work?", he asked.
It all came flying back, why she was here in the first place. She nodded, swallowing the knot that immediately formed in her throat. She could feel her eyes begin to water up again, and as she saw the relief come over his face, she barrelled right into him. She didn't know where to begin to thank him but this felt as good a place as any.
His arms came wrapped around her as he took in deep breaths. She could feel the tension leave his body, now that he knew his work had not been for nothing, and she just hugged him tighter.
"Thank you Harry", she whispered.
He said nothing, but he didn't have to, and right there as she stood in his arms with Tori's health no longer a worry, she allowed herself to admit. She wanted him. Even Tori had encouraged her, told her in fact, that she should take this chance, that she would never look back, and now she knew that herself.
She had long given up on the idea of finding her equal, someone who would make her irrevocably happy for the rest of her life, but those thoughts had been born anew. He would make her happy, make her whole.
She felt Harry begin to pull away from her and she reluctantly let go.
"Is she still at the Hospital", he asked, his hand trying to tame his hair down as he geared to go check in on her.
"Yes she is, but you're not going to go see her in this state. You need a trim, a shower, and a change of clothes. Go take care of that and I will ask Ruby if she can make you a quick lunch", she replied, looking him in the eyes and daring him to disagree.
His eyes searched her face, as if wanting to do just that, but ultimately he decided not to.
"Yes princess", he quipped instead, giving her a disarming grin.
She rolled her eyes at the hated nickname she had been coined at Hogwarts, but coming from him made it sound incredibly endearing. She walked away in search of the kitchen, admonishing her fluttering feelings.
...
May 10th, 2000
She stepped out of floo into the now familiar greeting room at Potter Manor. The earthy smell of birch immediately soothing her frayed nerves after her grueling three hour interview with the DOM. The added eerie presence of multiple unspeakables hadn't helped the matter. But she felt she had done fairly well and now all there was to do was wait and hope.
She navigated the hallways of Manor, her feet having had memorized the layout as they took her towards the back porch. It was one of Harry's
favorite places and more often than not he would be out there looking out over the woods surrounding the Manor. It had also quickly become one of her favorite places.
The last couple months had been one of the happiest of her life. Tori had been out of the hospital in no time, ready to make up for the time she had lost and live the life she didn't think she would get to have. Harry still made a point to complain that he thinks one of his ribs might have been permanently dislodged after the hug he had received from the girl for saving her. Tori had of course made it her life's mission to see the rest of the ribs also dislodged.
Her parents had tried and failed, miserably so, in trying to compensate Harry for the feat he had done. He would not budge, and every galleon they had tried to give him would end up back in their account the next day. So instead they had given up, and now they simply tried to smother him with love and affection, especially her mother, who would dote on him any chance she got. Harry never complained.
And her, well she was falling hard for the man she had come to know over the last couple months. Her crush had grown into so much more and the time they spent together only emboldened that feeling.
The first week she had made excuses to come over and see him, citing his inability to care for himself. Soon the excuses had run dry and she simply stopped making them.
Thankfully her feeling didn't seem unrequited. Although they had not talked as such, he had never taken away her floo access, by the second week he had even given her, her own room at the Manor. Something Tori had taken to mercilessly tease her over. But really it were the little things he did that showed. From always keeping her favorite ice cream stocked, to sating her quirky habit of eating in even numbers. He could read when she was anxious and wanted a hug or was stressed and needed space. It all made being with him feel like it was effortless.
The breeze on her face as she stepped out on the porch brought her out of her musings, and her eyes immediately found his form lounging on his armchair. As she got closer, she was greeted with a gentle smile, and he wandlessly transfigured his chair into a loveseat with a casual flick of his fingers. He opened his arms to her and she slid in like it was the most natural thing to do, tucking in her head under his and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"How did your interview go?", he asked, his chest rumbling as he spoke.
She shrugged, still too nervous to put a word on it.
She felt a soft kiss to the top of her head, his hand coming up to rake through her hair, making her close her eyes in contentment.
"You will get the job, I have no doubt about it", he said, his voice holding far more faith than she did. But his faith was all the reassurance she needed.
She felt an overwhelming surge of feelings bubble inside of her for this man. One like she hadn't felt before and she borrowed herself deeper into his chest.
"I love you", she whispered, almost hoping he didn't hear it for fear of his rejection.
His hand stilled in her hair. Even his chest stopped it's rhythmic beat for a moment as he processed what she had just said. She felt her own heart stop, afraid she had ruined it all.
She felt his hand leave her hair and cup her face, making her look up at him.
"I love you too", he whispered and he closed the space between them. His lips finding hers for the first time.
All her worries, all her nerves, they melted away. His lips feeling like magic against hers as he poured his feelings out without speaking a word and she did the same.
She couldn't say when she had climbed on to his lap or when her hands had bunched the front of his shirt but she couldn't get enough. She didn't think she ever would.
It was only the suffocating need for breath that drew them apart, her forehead resting on his as she heaved for air.
"I love you", she said again, this time much louder and with much more confidence.
"And I love you", he replied with equal passion and drew them together again.
What felt like hours later, she was curled up on his lap, his hands once again raking through her hair. She was home, exactly where she wanted to be.
...
June 7th, 2011
Her peaceful slumber was broken as the door to the bedroom was slammed open. The scampering of little feet accompanied by the barely held giggles warned her of what was to come. She hastily drew her head underneath the covers and not a moment later she felt the air leave her lungs as two bodies flung themselves atop her.
"Mummy! You won't believe what I.."
"Mummy, Uncle Ron gave me…"
"... got to pick at the…"
"...flying toy broom…"
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with one hand, the other holding the cover down fighting the hands tugging at the covers with more strength than they should have.
"Mummy!"
"Mummy, come out!"
Giddy laughter accompanying their relentless pursuit of uncovering her shield.
"Alright you little rascals, go wash up while I wake your mother. Ruby is making pancakes for you lot", came her savior's voice, and as quickly as they had come, her attackers ran off screaming for pancakes.
She smiled at the sound of his voice. Even after 10 years it never failed to make her feel happy.
She felt the bed to her side sink as he sat down, and she let go of the duvet as it was lifted off of her. Her eyes met vivid green ones, looking down at her in amusement.
"Good morning love", he greeted, tucking a stray hair away from her face.
"Good morning", she greeted back.
The years had really only been good to him. His short beard framed his sculpted face, contrasting the glowing emeralds beneath his glasses. His hair had stopped rebelling so much and his scar had long vanished. Added with his exercise regiment, he had become an incredibly cutting figure. She really had her hands full trying to keep the lingering eyes of vapid girls at bay.
Her hands swiftly left the warmth of her bed and instead grabbed at his shirt, tugging him close. Her lips finding his in a searing kiss.
"How long do we have?", she mumbled against his lips.
"Not enough", he replied before giving her another toe curling kiss and pulling away.
She pouted even as he laughed and walked out of the room.
Her head sunk back down into her pillow with a content sigh. She thanked whatever deity that had brought him and their girls into her life, she would not trade it for anything in the world.