Cash could hardly believe his eyes, he never would have thought Sirius capable of such a deep hatred. “Then why was she here visiting you?”

“What are you talking about.... did you feed off of a drunkard?!” Sirius practically yelled “Why would she visit me? She knows I despise her. I told her that much and more when I found out what she did to my Cat.”

Cash had to laugh at Sirius’s outburst, it was obvious he wasn’t trying to hide anything at all. He had a deep and painful grudge against this woman, she had apparently done something horrible to him and to Angel. “Your Cat, huh?” Cash repeated as a smirk played on his lips “I’m not sure Angel would agree with that at the moment.”

Sirius hung his head as his shoulders drooped in seeming defeat “I know Cash, I waited to long to tell her about Azkaban. I should have told her that first day, no matter how frightening or painful it was. At least then I may not have lost her.”

Cash placed a friendly hand on Sirius’s shoulder “Don’t give up yet. I’m not entirely sure you’ve lost her. In fact I’m almost positive she’ll choose you once she knows the truth.” Cash averted his eyes as Sirius looked at him questioningly. “She thinks you’re married to that Esmeralda chick, and before you ask, NO. I don’t know why, and to be honest, I don’t think I want to.”

They walked silently for a few moments before Cash finally got the nerve to tell Sirius about Angel’s leaving. Turning away from Sirius for a moment, he took a deep breath, he knew this was going to be hard “You realize she left with the Slytherin, don’t you?” he asked gently. He winced as he saw the rueful expression on Sirius’s face.

“Yes, I’ve lost her. I know . . . No need to remind me.” Sirius whispered as he closed his eyes and turned his face from Cash.

Cash grabbed Sirius by the shoulder and spun him so they were looking as each other eye to eye. “Not if you don’t want to you haven’t” he said firmly “She thought that Esmeralda woman was your wife, she saw her going to see you” Cash held up his hand to stop Sirius from arguing “I know now she wasn’t there for you, but that is besides the point. It’s what Angel *thinks* that’s important. Sirius I know in my heart, if she would have been told you weren’t married” Cash waved his hand and shook his head sadly “I would be marrying the two of you right now.”

Sirius looked at Cash with torture-filled eyes “Do you honestly think she can forgive me for everything that I’ve done, all the pain. . .”

“I don’t want to know what you did to her, not now.” Cash insisted “it will only make me angry again. And I have the distinct impression she forgave you for that a long time ago. But Sirius, I need to ask you some *very* hard questions, and you need to answer them honestly.” Cash waited until Sirius nodded his head, Gods above and below, this was going to be messy.

“First of all, do *you* still love her? Are you willing to abide by clan law and uphold the honor and blood of the clan?”

“Of course I love her, Cash, I’ve never stopped loving her.” Sirius responded immediately “and for the clan” he smiled “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Harry needs a family, preferably a very large one.”

Cash grinned as the words left Sirius’s mouth “Good answer” Cash licked his lips and braced himself for his next question “Now the hard part, you realize what she’s doing with the Slytherin, don’t you?” he asked gently as he watched Sirius’s smile crumble into a painful grimace.

“Yes” Sirius said hoarsely.

Cash cupped Sirius’s face in his hands and lifted it so he could look into Sirius’s eyes “Don’t let that kill your love for her my friend. Remember, she chose him because she thought she couldn’t have you. But I must ask you this” Cash said sternly “and I *must* have your honest, heart-felt answer. When Angel returns and I tell her the truth, will you be able to accept her with an open heart, without bringing this up every time there is an argument or a wound?”

Sirius closed his eyes “It hurts me Cash, I can’t lie about that. I feel like my heart is being torn apart just thinking of what he’s doing to her.” Sirius blinked and looked into Cash’s bright blue eyes as he began to cry “But I love her so much. I don’t care, not if she’ll come back to me, stay with me. I want to marry her, I want to have children with her.” Sirius sobbed against Cash’s shoulder as the Gangrel held him tightly, allowing the wizard to release his pain and anger through his tears.

After a few minutes when Cash heard Sirius’s sobs grow quiet, he pushed him away and asked one final question. “Once again, you *must* be honest with me Sirius. *IF*, and a very big if, but an important one. IF Angel returns from his bed carrying his child, what will you do then?” Cash waited for Sirius to answer, it was obvious from the look of shock that it had never even occurred to Sirius that such a thing may happen “Sirius? . . . Would you abandon her?” Cash asked softly.

“Abandon?! …. My Kitty” Sirius’s face became suddenly enraged “Who the hell do you think I am? Snape? I would never abandon her, I would force her to marry me! There is absolutely no way I would let her go through that alone, and he would NEVER raise them within the clan. He doesn’t understand, he doesn’t care, he.. .he…” Sirius’s anger prevented him from speaking, taking a deep breath Sirius finally calmed down. Continuing slowly and coolly “I would raise the child as my own, it would be our child, not his, *never* his.” Sirius was shocked when Cash hugged him and kissed him happily.

“Welcome to the Clan my friend” Cash grinned “that is what I’ve been waiting to hear. I know you love her, and I know, . . .I *know* she loves you. I’ve seen it in her heart and her eyes, ever since that night I walked in on you two in the hall.” Cash wiped away the pink, blood-tinged tears that had begun to roll down his cheeks “You *will* be her husband Sirius Black, by Candlemas if I have any say in the matter.”

“But Cash, she loves Snape too” Sirius reminded him sadly “she would never agree to share his bed if she didn’t love him. She’s just not that sort of girl”

Cash frowned at Sirius for a minute “Yeah…..and…?” he asked “She loves the dog too, but she wouldn’t marry him. She has a soft spot for strays, the abandoned and abused, the forgotten. . .its part of her healing nature.” he explained “There is a big difference between love and compassion” Cash stepped back from Sirius and gave him a critical look “Speaking of which, you could do with a little healing yourself, you look like shit. We’ve *got* to get the two of you together without any outside interruptions.”

“And how exactly do you intend to do that Cash?” Sirius asked amusedly “Lock us in a room for a few days perhaps?”

“Nope, I’ll go one better” Cash said as he set his mind in motion “you will be joining Harry and Angel for the holidays. The only thing better than you two alone in a room is you two stuck with Clan for a few weeks.” Cash grinned as he placed his arm around Sirius’s shoulders and began walking towards the school “Imagine, if you will, an old stone home, full to the brim with family, from the oldest little old lady you have ever laid your eyes on, to the not yet born, and an awful lot of babies. . . .its been a good year” Cash winked as Sirius felt his heart growing warm at the very thought of belonging to a family again, and of course, being with Cat. . . . .

Somehow shoes had come off long ago, along with any pretense, he loved her and he wanted her, and unless she made it completely clear to him that she was not willing, he was going to have her, tonight. Severus’s desire became more evident as he kissed her again, letting his body press against hers, he smiled contentedly as he felt Catri’s hips push up against him, arousing him even more.

Cat gasped as she felt his desire pressing against her thigh, even through his trousers it felt incredibly hard. She closed her eyes as she imagined what it would feel like when he entered her. Her body quivered as Severus cupped her breasts in his strong hands, squeezing them firmly, he gently began kneading them as he kissed her once more. Cat wrapped her arms around Severus, delighting in the feel of his naked flesh under her fingertips. She let out an involuntary moan when he abandoned her breasts to embrace her, only to lift her to a sitting position as he continued to removed her blouse. Cat sighed as he slid her blouse down her arms, kissing her shoulders as he did so. She eagerly kissed his chest, tasting his salty flesh and pausing to tease his nipples with her tongue. . .

Severus moaned softly as she touched him with her lips, he felt a shiver run down his back when she bit playfully at his nipples, causing his erection to grow even more unyielding than it had been only moments before. Running his hand up her leg, he stopped at the hem of her stockings, lace again, he closed his eyes as he ran his fingers over the lace edge covering her thigh, pinching the inside of her thigh firmly but gently, he nearly exploded when she gasped loudly and arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest.

In an attempt to hold onto his passion a bit longer, Sev gently pressed Catri flat onto the bed, his hands trailed along her curves until he reached her skirt. Quelling the urge to tear it off of her, he undid the button and slowly slid her skirt over her legs, revealing her silk and lace panties. Sev smiled as he realized that her bra, panties and stockings all matched perfectly, she must have known they would end up in bed together, and more to the point, it meant she wanted this every bit as much as he did.

Feeling much more confident now, Severus slowly ran his hand down Catri’s belly, enjoying the sound of her deep, jagged breathes as he neared her hidden charms. Gently pushing her legs apart, Sev knelt between them as he continued to explore her body with his hands and lips. Raising himself up, he kissed her deeply as he slipped the straps of her bra over her shoulders, revealing the crest of her full bosom. He agilely unfastened the hooks of her bra, allowing her breasts to spill out, he thrilled as he heard her say his name softly as his trembling hands touched her breasts. He began kissing them passionately as her back arched, pressing her sex against his own. Fighting back the urge to release his passion, he took one her breasts into his mouth, suckling at them as felt Catri‘s hands caressing him. Using his tongue on her sensitive nipples, he quickly brought her to the very edge of her passion. . . .

Sirius found himself walking aimlessly down the corridors of the school, it was nearly dawn now. He knew he should get back to Albus’s office and get some sleep, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he had had with Cash. Without realizing it, Sirius found himself at the door to Cat’s room. He sighed deeply as he shook his head “Don’t suppose I’d be lucky enough to find you here would I? Maybe you and Snape had a fight, or you realized you just couldn’t do it?” he said aloud as he leaned against the door and nearly fell when it opened easily for him.

Sirius knit his brow as he entered her sitting room, everything had been the way he remembered it. Walking over to her sewing, he saw the finished needlepoint sitting neatly on her sewing basket, picking it up, Sirius studied it. He smiled as he saw the beaded and embroidered family tree, Harry’s name was at the base, with Lily and Cat’s right above his, each of their lineage curling up alongside either boarder. Sirius followed the carefully stitched work, reading the names as he went, he was amazed at how many he already knew. It wasn’t until he reached the top that it hit him, the lineage didn’t go off in different directions anymore, both sides had curled back in, like a large heart, revealing a common ancestor. His legs felt slightly numb as he sat down in one of Cat’s chairs, trembling slightly. He wasn’t really sure why he was so shocked, it certainly made sense, after all they had all thought Lily and Cat were twins at first, why wouldn’t they be related. Setting the needlepoint back down, Sirius closed his eyes as the full implication hit him, Harry was truly Cat’s blood, a Sidhe, granted probably very weak as bloodlines went, but still. Sirius smiled as he shook his head, “leave it to you to forget to mention something like that Cat. Well, I guess this means you‘ll be teaching him more than a little of your magic, doesn‘t it?”

Getting up from the chair, Sirius continued to roam around her room, smiling happily as each item and memento brought up wonderful memories of their past. “I can’t believe you kept all of this Cat” he sighed as he opened a small ornately carved soapstone chest and pulled out a red silk pouch, opening it up he saw a lock of his own hair, he had given it to her the day Morano had forced them to prepare love potions. Sirius grimaced as he remembered the havoc that had ensued when Morano insisted Cat be James’s partner and put Lily with Snape. Things had gotten so out of hand that they were worried Morano would make them repeat the potion the next day. They had come up with their own plans though, they had each exchanged locks of their hair; Lily and James, and of course he and Cat. That way they could make the potion for the correct person, no matter what Morano tried to pull next time. Sirius chuckled, had any of them realized at that moment what a truly vicious temper Cat had, they never would have worried about it. It had appeared that even in her sleep, Cat had taken revenge on Morano for trying to force their little gang apart with such an underhanded trick. And when Dumbledore had found out why Cat was so upset, he decreed love potions would never be taught at Hogwarts again. Replacing the lock of hair and the silk bag, Sirius closed the small chest as he made his way to Cat’s bedroom, he wanted to look at her pictures again, to help remind himself of his past, of their past.

He opened her bedroom door, fully intending to look once more at the photos she kept on her dresser. He couldn’t explain how hopeful it made him to know she hadn’t destroyed their past. He picked up a photo of her and Lily hugging and smiling happily, their cheeks pressed against each other, their emerald eyes twinkled merrily as their hair blew around them in the soft breeze. He and James had each been given the same picture, the last time he remembered seeing this was the day he had packed his bag, intending to head off for Japan and find Cat. It had been sitting on his dresser, next to a picture of the Marauders, a wedding picture of James and Lily and a picture of his godson.

Sighing deeply, Sirius sat on Cat’s bed, “At least I know you didn’t forsake me because of Azkaban gra. It never even occurred to me that you would think I had married.” Sirius looked across the bed as he rubbed his hand over the quilt, remembering Cat’s sleeping form on the many nights he had stopped by to check on her. He smirked as he wondered if she even knew how often he had slipped inside her chambers to watch her sleep, wishing he could take her in his arms and join her, but always to fearful of her reaction to try.

Kicking off his shoes, Sirius laid on her bed, imagining her there with him, her soft hair tickling his nose the way it used to when they cuddled against each other. A forgotten memory flashed across his mind as he lay there, her home in Hogsmeade, some of the students had contracted a strange disease, and somehow it was thought Cat was the carrier, even though she herself seemed perfectly healthy. She was supposed to have been watched over by her older sister Wanda, but, true to form, Wanda had decided Cat didn’t need looking out for and left a few hours after Albus had left her youngest sister in her care. Luckily Sirius had been so worried about Cat that he had snuck out of school to check on her. Finding her asleep and alone, he had quietly slipped into bed with her and held her in his arms all night. He remembered the look on her face when she had woken up to see him smiling at her. She seemed both embarrassed and content as she had looked up into his eyes, blushing warmly, she had nuzzled against his chest, sighing softly as they both drifted back off to sleep.

Exhaling deeply, he wondered if he would ever be able to see that look in her eyes again. He rose from her bed and returned the photo to her dresser, fully intending to leave her room and return to the cot in the hidden room in Albus’s office. Sirius shuddered involuntarily as he thought of his dark room and cold bed, he knew it was for his own safety, after all, there was nowhere safer than Albus’s office, but he missed the sunlight, he missed the comfort of a real bed, he missed Cat. He wanted to wake up and feel her warmth, see her smile, feel her heart beating, she had to come back, she had to give him a second chance, after all, she still loved him, she had said so herself at the ball.

Sirius pulled back the covers of her bed and snuggled into Cat’s bed, savoring the softness and warmth that immediately enveloped him. Pulling the covers up to his chin, he inhaled deeply as Cat’s scent immediately filled his senses. He grabbed one of her pillows and nuzzled against it, it also smelled of her perfume, he sighed happily as he drifted off into the first decent night of sleep he had had in weeks. . . .

Severus sighed as he looked deeply into Catri’s beautiful emerald eyes, she seemed so delicate as she lay beneath him, her large, expressive eyes searching his own. ------ He pulled away from her long enough to recover control of his desire before he kissed her again. He had to hold down her hips as he rested his body on hers, they kept rising to meet his iron hard passion, as if craving ………… Severus sat up, panting heavily as he tried to quiet the impending eruption, he gasped loudly as he felt Catri tugging at his belt, he watched with fascination as she gingerly undid the fastening of his trousers and hesitantly reached in to touch his desire. He looked at her with a mixture of love and awe as she began to stroke his passion, he felt himself growing weak as his body trembled at her loving touches.

Not wanting to release his passion in her hands, Severus gently forced Catri back down onto the bed as he cupped her secrets through her panties. He smiled as his fingers pulled away the delicate silk fabric from her hidden charms. His mouth once more clamped over her breast, causing her to moan deeply as he nipped gently at her nipple, while his long, strong fingers began to search out her secrets. Taking great care to be gentle, Severus inserted one finger into her, prying at her depths as she arched her back and spoke his name breathlessly. Sev marveled at the warmth and moisture of her charms, his other experiences had never returned his adore in such a physical way, and he loved her all the more for it.

Severus watched her reactions as he forced his fingers deeper into her, her entire body was beginning to flush with a soft rose color as she grabbed onto his arms, digging her fingernails into his flesh as she tossed her head and arched her back against him. He became distracted by the way her lips parted as she moaned her desire for him. He pressed his lips over hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth in unison with the rhythm of his fingers, in effect, penetrating her at both ends. Severus thought he would weep when he felt Catri’s arms embrace him, pulling him closer to her. He had waiting so long for this moment, to be able to make love to someone, not simply to have sex to release a physical need, but to care so passionately for someone that you wanted to be with them, to be inside of them. Feeling her moan into his mouth as he pushed a second finger into her, Severus knew he could not hold out any longer, his erection had become almost painful to him and he wanted to join her, to share his passion and his seed with her.

He parted her thighs, smiling as he noticed the moisture that had begun to drip from her secret self and down her legs. He took one last look at her angelic face before sliding his passion into her. . . . .His world stopped for a moment as her sheath closed around him, his breath taken away by the sheer delight and warmth it brought to his body and soul.

He felt her hips rising against his as he pushed his erection in further, she had begun to gasp and groan as she tried to push herself closer to him. Sev felt the trembling in her hips as he pulled himself back out, only to push in even deeper again and again. He listened as he himself began to moan as his passion crested, burying his face into the curve of his neck, Sev allowed instincts to take over as he reveled in the response of Catri’s body, never had he been with a woman who could make him feel like this. It was as if every nerve and fiber in his body was suddenly filled with a blazing energy, even her breathless gasps, her moans of passion only served to invigorate his passion. He felt her nails tear at his back as her moans gave way to gasping screams of delight, he closed his eyes as his voice joined with hers as his passion spilled inside of her. Merlin’s oath, he had never experienced anything like this before, he felt suddenly free and totally at peace with the world. He covered Catri’s face and neck with soft kisses as he wept silently with relief and love.