Post by Jestana on Oct 17, 2004 15:18:39 GMT -5
Caught in the Rain
A/N: Response to Christy's sharing a bed challenge.
"Albus, you can't!"
"There's no other choice, Alastor." Albus met his longtime friend's gaze. "I'm the only one who can pull it off."
Alastor huffed, but said nothing. Minerva spoke up instead. "We understand that, Albus, but we can't afford to have you go alone."
"Who would you suggest go with me, then, Minerva?" Albus asked quietly.
No one met his gaze as he looked around the kitchen. Finally, Minerva sighed and said, "I'll go with you."
"No." He shook his head. "You're still healing and who would look after Hogwarts while I am gone?"
Minerva glared at him before making her retort, "I'm fine, Albus. I've been fine for weeks. As for who would look after Hogwarts, Filius is more than capable of looking after it for a few weeks."
He started to object, but the look in her eyes made him change his mind. "Very well, Minerva shall accompany me. Any further objects?" When none were raised, Albus nodded. "This meeting is adjourned."
* * *
They'd been tailing a group of Death Eaters for several days now, trying to figure out what they were up to. They'd had no luck so far and a storm was brewing. "Albus, we're going to need to find shelter soon."
"I know, Minerva, but we can't abandon the mission," Albus replied as a gust of wind whipped their robes around them.
She sighed. "I wasn't suggesting that, Albus. They're going to need to stop, too. When they stop, we can."
"I quite see your point, Minerva," Albus responded, just as Minerva lost her balance and stumbled into him. He caught her and set her on her feet, but didn't move his arm from around her waist. When she looked up at him questioningly, he explained, "We don't want the wind knocking you off your feet now, do we?"
She rolled her eyes, but didn't raise any objections. The truth was, Albus had realized when she was Stunned by Dolores and the others that she meant much more to him than a colleague or even a friend. He loved her and the thought of losing her had frozen his insides. "Albus, are you all right?"
"Yes, Minerva, I'm fine," Albus assured her. "Why do you ask?"
"You just shivered," she pointed out quietly. "Maybe it's the weather."
He nodded, latching onto the excuse like a lifeline. "Yes, I'm just feeling a little cold is all."
"They've stopped," Minerva announced quietly several minutes later.
Looking up at the Death Eaters they were following, Albus nodded. "So they have. We should find a place for ourselves as well."
"Any suggestions?" Minerva asked, looking around. "We don't have many options."
Albus, too, looked around, and spotted a small cave not far away. "I see something, come on."
Struggling through the increasing winds, they reached the cave and Albus cast a charm to block rain and wind from getting in. "Albus, we have a bit of a problem."
"What do you mean?" he turned and surveyed the cave more fully. It was just barely large enough for the two of them to stretch out and sleep. "Oh, I see what you mean."
Minerva looked around, avoiding Albus' gaze. "Can we enlarge it somehow?"
"Not unless you want to risk the cave caving in on us," he countered, unable to resist making a pun.
Minerva groaned. "That wasn't very funny, Albus."
"Pity," he replied, even as he waved his wand to conjure up a smokeless fire. Minerva unrolled her sleeping bag beside it and knelt on it to hold her hands out to the fire.
Albus unrolled his sleeping bag across the fire from hers, almost right next to the opening. Despite the charm, some wind and rain still managed to get in. Both of them used magic to exchange their robes for nightwear. Shivering a little in his thinner nightshirt, Albus slipped into his sleeping bag. He was trying to get to sleep when Minerva spoke up, "Albus, come here."
"Why? Is something wrong?" he asked, propping himself up on one elbow to look at her.
She shook her head. "No, it's too cold for you over there. Besides, if we're next to each other, we can share body heat."
"It'd be easier to share if we were in the same sleeping bag," he pointed out, even as he rose and moved around the fire to settle down beside her.
She was quiet for a long moment before quietly replying, "You're right."
"What?" he stared at her, startled. He hadn't expected her to agree with him!
Wordlessly, she waved her wand and their sleeping bags were suddenly connected, with no barriers between them except her flannel pajamas and his nightshirt. She rolled over to face him, her face unreadable, and gestured to him. "Hold me, Albus."
"Are you sure, Minerva?" he asked, his heartbeat speeding up. He'd dreamt of holding her as they slept, but it usually followed making love and with nothing between his skin and hers. However, he was willing to take what he could get.
She nodded. "I'm sure, Albus."
"All right, then." He carefully pulled her to him and she rested her head on his beard with a quiet sigh.
It wasn't long before they were toasty warm and slowly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
* * *
In that place between asleep and awake, Albus was vaguely aware that he was holding Minerva in his arms. Forgetting for the moment that he wasn't dreaming, he lowered his head and kissed her.
When she pulled away, yelling, "What are you doing?!" Albus' eyes snapped open and the events of the previous evening came rushing back to him.
"I apologize, Minerva, I thought I was dreaming," he told her, sitting up in the sleeping bag.
She glared at him. "Next time, try not to act out your dreams of another woman on me."
"What makes you think it was another woman I was dreaming about?" he asked quietly as she made to get up.
She stopped and turned to him, her eyes wide. "Albus, what are you saying?"
"I've been dreaming about you for weeks now, Minerva," he told her quietly. "I thought waking with you in my arms was another dream." He moved his face to within inches of hers. "But you're not. You're very real."
She nodded slowly, her eyes locked with his. "Yes, Albus, I'm very real."
"Minerva, may I ask you something?" he asked, his heart pounding.
She licked her lips before replying, "Yes, Albus, you may."
"May I kiss you again?"
Finite
A/N: Response to Christy's sharing a bed challenge.
"Albus, you can't!"
"There's no other choice, Alastor." Albus met his longtime friend's gaze. "I'm the only one who can pull it off."
Alastor huffed, but said nothing. Minerva spoke up instead. "We understand that, Albus, but we can't afford to have you go alone."
"Who would you suggest go with me, then, Minerva?" Albus asked quietly.
No one met his gaze as he looked around the kitchen. Finally, Minerva sighed and said, "I'll go with you."
"No." He shook his head. "You're still healing and who would look after Hogwarts while I am gone?"
Minerva glared at him before making her retort, "I'm fine, Albus. I've been fine for weeks. As for who would look after Hogwarts, Filius is more than capable of looking after it for a few weeks."
He started to object, but the look in her eyes made him change his mind. "Very well, Minerva shall accompany me. Any further objects?" When none were raised, Albus nodded. "This meeting is adjourned."
* * *
They'd been tailing a group of Death Eaters for several days now, trying to figure out what they were up to. They'd had no luck so far and a storm was brewing. "Albus, we're going to need to find shelter soon."
"I know, Minerva, but we can't abandon the mission," Albus replied as a gust of wind whipped their robes around them.
She sighed. "I wasn't suggesting that, Albus. They're going to need to stop, too. When they stop, we can."
"I quite see your point, Minerva," Albus responded, just as Minerva lost her balance and stumbled into him. He caught her and set her on her feet, but didn't move his arm from around her waist. When she looked up at him questioningly, he explained, "We don't want the wind knocking you off your feet now, do we?"
She rolled her eyes, but didn't raise any objections. The truth was, Albus had realized when she was Stunned by Dolores and the others that she meant much more to him than a colleague or even a friend. He loved her and the thought of losing her had frozen his insides. "Albus, are you all right?"
"Yes, Minerva, I'm fine," Albus assured her. "Why do you ask?"
"You just shivered," she pointed out quietly. "Maybe it's the weather."
He nodded, latching onto the excuse like a lifeline. "Yes, I'm just feeling a little cold is all."
"They've stopped," Minerva announced quietly several minutes later.
Looking up at the Death Eaters they were following, Albus nodded. "So they have. We should find a place for ourselves as well."
"Any suggestions?" Minerva asked, looking around. "We don't have many options."
Albus, too, looked around, and spotted a small cave not far away. "I see something, come on."
Struggling through the increasing winds, they reached the cave and Albus cast a charm to block rain and wind from getting in. "Albus, we have a bit of a problem."
"What do you mean?" he turned and surveyed the cave more fully. It was just barely large enough for the two of them to stretch out and sleep. "Oh, I see what you mean."
Minerva looked around, avoiding Albus' gaze. "Can we enlarge it somehow?"
"Not unless you want to risk the cave caving in on us," he countered, unable to resist making a pun.
Minerva groaned. "That wasn't very funny, Albus."
"Pity," he replied, even as he waved his wand to conjure up a smokeless fire. Minerva unrolled her sleeping bag beside it and knelt on it to hold her hands out to the fire.
Albus unrolled his sleeping bag across the fire from hers, almost right next to the opening. Despite the charm, some wind and rain still managed to get in. Both of them used magic to exchange their robes for nightwear. Shivering a little in his thinner nightshirt, Albus slipped into his sleeping bag. He was trying to get to sleep when Minerva spoke up, "Albus, come here."
"Why? Is something wrong?" he asked, propping himself up on one elbow to look at her.
She shook her head. "No, it's too cold for you over there. Besides, if we're next to each other, we can share body heat."
"It'd be easier to share if we were in the same sleeping bag," he pointed out, even as he rose and moved around the fire to settle down beside her.
She was quiet for a long moment before quietly replying, "You're right."
"What?" he stared at her, startled. He hadn't expected her to agree with him!
Wordlessly, she waved her wand and their sleeping bags were suddenly connected, with no barriers between them except her flannel pajamas and his nightshirt. She rolled over to face him, her face unreadable, and gestured to him. "Hold me, Albus."
"Are you sure, Minerva?" he asked, his heartbeat speeding up. He'd dreamt of holding her as they slept, but it usually followed making love and with nothing between his skin and hers. However, he was willing to take what he could get.
She nodded. "I'm sure, Albus."
"All right, then." He carefully pulled her to him and she rested her head on his beard with a quiet sigh.
It wasn't long before they were toasty warm and slowly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
* * *
In that place between asleep and awake, Albus was vaguely aware that he was holding Minerva in his arms. Forgetting for the moment that he wasn't dreaming, he lowered his head and kissed her.
When she pulled away, yelling, "What are you doing?!" Albus' eyes snapped open and the events of the previous evening came rushing back to him.
"I apologize, Minerva, I thought I was dreaming," he told her, sitting up in the sleeping bag.
She glared at him. "Next time, try not to act out your dreams of another woman on me."
"What makes you think it was another woman I was dreaming about?" he asked quietly as she made to get up.
She stopped and turned to him, her eyes wide. "Albus, what are you saying?"
"I've been dreaming about you for weeks now, Minerva," he told her quietly. "I thought waking with you in my arms was another dream." He moved his face to within inches of hers. "But you're not. You're very real."
She nodded slowly, her eyes locked with his. "Yes, Albus, I'm very real."
"Minerva, may I ask you something?" he asked, his heart pounding.
She licked her lips before replying, "Yes, Albus, you may."
"May I kiss you again?"
Finite
!!!
