Never A Memory
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
59
Views:
39,364
Reviews:
379
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
59
Views:
39,364
Reviews:
379
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
A New Scent
~A New Scent~
The following day…
~*~
U.S. Magical Law Enforcement Division, Madison, Wisconsin. Muggle Affairs.
***
Drew Williams met with his partner, Joe Byrne, early that morning—earlier than usual, at least. Williams and Byrne were in the last throes of cleaning up what they had come to affectionately call the ‘British Blunder’ and were hoping that today would mark the last day of IFO—In Field Obliviation—before paperwork and completely wrapping up the case. It was somewhat humorous at first, giving them plenty of material for inane jokes and smirking comments about the British Ministry and how they must train their Aurors to afford such…interesting outcomes. After a week, however, the humor lost its flavor and now they were just tired and very much ready to move on to the next case.
Drew Williams was a young father of two girls and husband to Martha Lane, his sweetheart from Seqouia School for American Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he had graduated a year before her from Faraday House, and had been an Auror for MLED, Ontario, California before transferring to Madison when his first girl was born. At Madison, he had been partnered with Byrne and had worked with him for a full five years now.
Joe Byrne was an older, and much shorter, Auror with an ailing wife, Madame Kate Galeoanne, and no children. Despite a somewhat somber life at home, Byrne maintained a sense of dry humor and steady grounding to their partnership. Williams often wondered if he hadn’t specifically asked for a younger partner to help him keep his mind off of what awaited him when he went home. The younger energy helped Byrne forget the mortality of them all; at least until he clocked out at five to be reminded all over again.
Williams handed Byrne a cup of coffee—black, the way he always drank it—and to a sip of his own—cream, but no sugar—as they peered over their regimen for the day.
After Williams finished reading, he glanced balefully at his watch and then over at his partner. “All we have to do is go over footage, Byrne? Why the hell did we have to be here at 6:30 in the godforsaken morning?”
Byrne sipped at his coffee and peered at Williams over the rim of the Styrofoam cup. “Cause Madame Molta’s happy hour starts at three today, Williams. We finish early; we have more time to celebrate.”
Madame Molta’s was the bar Madison’s MLED’s Aurors always went to after finishing a case. It was bad luck to begin another case without sealing the last one with a schooner of ice cold lager.
Williams paused. “Fair enough,” he said finally with a shrug.
Minutes later, they approached Phil Lackey’s office, one of the very few Aurors in Wisconsin who understood Muggle technology. Entering, Williams and Byrne never failed to be surprised by the piles of…*stuff* that littered the office. Muggle machines and contraptions seemed to seep from every corner and crevice of the tiny room. Carefully edging their way into the room, they searched with their eyes for Lackey, afraid to touch anything with their hands.
After nearly a full five minutes of searching for him without avail, Byrne frowned and took a deep breath. “Lackey!” he shouted.
A pile of metal rubble in the corner jumped sharply and a middle-aged man with a shirt that really…didn’t…fit him and pants that were too large emerged. Lackey always looked as if he tried to shave his stubble in the dark because patches of longer facial hair grew in no particular order along his wide jaw. His laughing beady eyes were framed by thick, black framed glasses that had three or four extra spectacles attached to the frame, ready to enhance or detract his vision on a moment’s notice. His head was bald and his skin tanned and smudged with dirt and grease.
All in all, Phil Lackey was a likable fellow. Albeit strange, but that’s what happened when Wizards became obsessed with Muggle artifacts. They sort of…fall off their rocker a bit.
“Phil!” Williams greeted cheerily. “How’s it hangin’?”
Phil smiled solemnly. “A little to the left, actually.”
Byrne coughed as Williams’ face went slack before he blinked and shook himself from a most unwelcome image. “Phil, we need to review the footage taken a week ago at Willow Station.”
“The B and B?”
“No,” Byrne said, shaking his head. “The British Blunder.”
Phil nodded to himself. “The B and B.”
Williams exchanged an exasperated look with Byrne, whose face was the very mask of tolerance, while Lackey dug through a pile of contraptions and pulled out a sort of projector. Then he plugged some wires into some other things and pushed a small, black, rectangular object into a larger, black, rectangular object. Abruptly, Lackey snapped his fingers and the lights went out. Then, pushing a switch, a moving projection began playing on the far screen.
Byrne and Williams watched dispassionately as the crane shot focused in on the young British Wizard wrap himself in a cocoon of magic and worry the Muggles around him into a panic. Soon, Muggle Law Enforcement surrounded the station and the scene unfolded a bit more dramatically. The power surges from the young Wizard caused some static in the footage, disrupting the cleaner images.
Suddenly, Lackey squealed and pointed. “By me! Is that Harry Potter? It is, isn’t it?”
Williams and Byrne exchanged another glance. They had spoken of that at great length. While they had only communicated directly with British Auror Ronald Weasley and the woman from the Ministry of Magic’s Muggle Affairs division, Hermione Granger, they had realized some time later that the man who had walked through the imploding magic around the blond Wizard had, in fact, been the infamous Harry Potter.
They had seen him, of course, but had not recognized him at all. The lightening bolt scar and his trademark round spectacles had been missing and, to top it off, he hadn’t looked at all like a Wizard nor an Auror. It wasn’t until they began filing paperwork with the British did his become noticed and the connection made that the black-haired young man who had saved the blond Wizard and Apparated them away had been The-Boy-Who-Lived.
Even more interestingly, the blond Wizard had been Draco Malfoy, the man who had killed the Dark Lord who had terrorized Europe some few years back and had been in a coma ever since. To be truthful, the whole story seemed a bit fairytale-ish and Byrne didn’t even believe the Malfoy boy to exist until he had seen him with his own eyes at Willow Station.
They had decided that whatever was going on in England with Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and the Ministry of Magic must be a-whole-‘nother-pickle. Of course, they had wondered why Draco Malfoy would have taken residence in a mental institution in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin in the first place. Even the events that had led up to the spectacle at Willow station had been kept very quiet and left to speculation with the Aurors at MLED, Madison.
“Isn’t it?” Lackey pressed.
Williams nodded before holding out his hand and ordering Lackey to pause the recording. Instantly, the image froze and Byrne stared over at his young partner as Williams squinted at the screen.
“Phil,” Williams said. “Can you zoom in?”
Lackey pressed a few buttons and the image shot forward. When it became focused and clear again, Williams stepped closer, peering at the men that surrounded Harry Potter as the two British Aurors, Anin and Mackle, approached.
“Phil, keep that picture and move it back a few minutes.”
Byrne watched closely as Williams squinted at the screen, the whirring noise of Phil rewinding the recording slowly humming in the background.
“Stop,” Williams said bending forward and pointed at a curly haired, olive-skinned man that had driven Harry Potter to the sight and remained near him all the way until Harry Potter decided to brave the storm of magic that surrounded Draco Malfoy.
“I recognize this man,” Williams whispered.
Byrne studied the man on the screen. The man’s eyes seemed to be everywhere at once whenever no one was looking at him. Byrne didn’t like the way his face changed so often. Byrne had a sinking feeling this case wasn’t quite finished yet. “Who is he, Drew?”
Williams bit his lip. “I can’t remember. I swear, I know him though. And I’m certain he is no Muggle. Did you see his expression when they first arrived? You can tell he’s seen magic before. And look at the way he watches Potter.”
Byrne nodded and took a deep breathe. “Alright. Contact Weimster and Drasin. I want to know his name, what he does, where he lives, and the exact number of freckles he has on his right hand by lunch time.”
“Yes, sir.”
~*~
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
***
Harry looked up from a scroll he was studying from behind his desk and smiled as he saw Draco reading quietly in the corner of the study. The past two days had been good.
Good. Harry used to hate the way that word sounded, thinking that nothing could be described so simply. Except now, thinking back at the few short hours between that private moment they shared in Draco’s room and his confession all the way to this moment, Harry knew the best word to use was ‘good’.
Good and quiet. Yet, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. They were beginning to feel more comfortable in one another’s presence and filling up the space with words didn’t feel necessary.
“Potter, I can feel your eyes on me. Cut it out.”
Scratch that. Never mind.
Harry grinned and looked back at his scroll. “What do you want for dinner?”
Draco looked up. “Why? Are you cooking?”
“Um,” Harry glanced over at Draco again, his smile light. “I really don’t think you’d want me to.”
Draco snickered and bent back over his book. “Slightly makes a wonderful soufflé.”
“Does she?”
“Mmhhmm.”
“Sounds great.”
“You must be tired of reading.”
Harry sighed and rolled up his scroll. “You caught me. I am.”
Draco set his book down and sent one *those* looks towards Harry. “So what do you want to do?”
Harry felt a shiver run down the base of his spine but he matched Draco’s stare boldly and said nothing.
Draco stretched before standing and strolling over to Harry’s desk. Draco placed two hands on the desk and leaned forward. “Would you like me to guess, Potter?”
A slow smile stretched Harry’s lips and he stood as well, coming around the desk and standing behind Draco. Harry wrapped his arms around the Malfoy heir and pressed him full against his body. Draco’s eyes fluttered closed and Harry could actually see Draco’s pulse quicken in the vein of his throat. Harry bent his head and lightly kissed the vein before biting down, not hard enough to draw blood, but just enough to leave a mark. Draco groaned throatily and Harry felt himself harden at the sound.
Harry slid a hand down the flat of Draco’s stomach and grasped one slender hip, pulling Draco closer so he could feel exactly what kind of effect he was having on Harry. Draco rolled his head back onto Harry shoulder and arched his neck, his whole body practically pleading for a kiss. Harry obliged with less control than he had anticipated and a soft growl escaped passed Harry’s throat and disappeared somewhere inside Draco’s mouth as their tongues dueled and sparred.
So much and not enough, Harry abruptly pulled away and placed a small kiss on the back of Draco’s neck before stepping away. “After dinner,” Harry said before leaving the study.
Tantalized, Draco made some indiscernible noise as he whirled around and watched Harry walk from the room. When he heard Harry’s soft laughter echo down the hall and drift back into the study, Draco couldn’t help but smile.
“He’s learning,” Draco murmured wickedly to himself before righting his clothes and following Harry out the door.
Good, indeed.
~*~
A/N: Thank you guys for such wonderful reviewssssssssssss! (Alex, that one was for you. Laugh, dammit.)
kittycat30: The obvious mind games have...been put on hold for the more ambiguous ones. And, you know, so that I can move along with plot and *weeeeeeh!* lemons. I hope you enjoyed the update and thank you for your review!
mariahs_fantasy: LOL, oh, I see. Yeah, that would piss me off too. Don't worry, I would never do that to you guys; you are all too sweet for that kind of mean-ness. Thank you so much for your review!
Soria: Thank you for your review! I was pretty certain of the answer when I saw your question, but I did double check to make sure I didn't accidentally forget a bit of misguided dialogue. No, Ron was instructed to come into his office at the Ministry from 9 to 5 and quote "restrain [him]self to [his] cubicle". What might have been confusing was that Ron had vistited a day or two after his and Harry's little argument to reconcile with his best mate. It wasn't a neccessary thing, just something to tie up their spike of irritation. I appreciate you holding me big and keeping me to my own plot-line though! It helps to remember exactly what has already transpired. We'll see Ron and Hermione again in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoyed the update!
Graballz: Yeah *cough* woops. I have this elongated, dramatic story that explains exactly why I screwed that up, but, hell, i won't bore you with my scars. Thanx again for the tidbit! Caught it quick.
Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed. Yes, very much the Catharsis moment for the two of them. Don't worry about the pressuring, babe. You'll get your lemon in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the update! And thanx again for such a wonderful review!
Heero yuy: Well, thank you very much! You rock, by the way. I hope you enjoyed the update!
lissagal99: *sniffle* Thank you! That makes me feel all gooey inside that I'm hitting the goal, man. The sex is gonna be great, granted, but this story isn't really about the sex. It's about their journey through this quaked out plotline I randomly came up with and the kissing scenes are so very important to me because it shows their range of emotions as they learn something different about one another. I hope you enjoyed the update.
snarrylover: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the update!
airagorn charda: "I love how you've kept them just enough in character to be THEM, but changed them just enough to be OLDER. It really works." --THANK YOU! Wow, that made me feel really good. *god, there's that word again* I was shooting for that and so I'm glad it hit you that way. I usually try to stay away from sappy writing because I can go overboard and end up making readers cry for no reason and all that (I don't know how, really, it just happens); however, it was really important to soften their relationship! What we're moving into now is a strong sense of their needing to depend on one another. I can't really have them fighting over trivial things all the time anymore. So, I needed them to connect, really connect. And get vulnerable with one another. They have alot to learn about trust, the both of them. Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoyed the update!
The following day…
~*~
U.S. Magical Law Enforcement Division, Madison, Wisconsin. Muggle Affairs.
***
Drew Williams met with his partner, Joe Byrne, early that morning—earlier than usual, at least. Williams and Byrne were in the last throes of cleaning up what they had come to affectionately call the ‘British Blunder’ and were hoping that today would mark the last day of IFO—In Field Obliviation—before paperwork and completely wrapping up the case. It was somewhat humorous at first, giving them plenty of material for inane jokes and smirking comments about the British Ministry and how they must train their Aurors to afford such…interesting outcomes. After a week, however, the humor lost its flavor and now they were just tired and very much ready to move on to the next case.
Drew Williams was a young father of two girls and husband to Martha Lane, his sweetheart from Seqouia School for American Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he had graduated a year before her from Faraday House, and had been an Auror for MLED, Ontario, California before transferring to Madison when his first girl was born. At Madison, he had been partnered with Byrne and had worked with him for a full five years now.
Joe Byrne was an older, and much shorter, Auror with an ailing wife, Madame Kate Galeoanne, and no children. Despite a somewhat somber life at home, Byrne maintained a sense of dry humor and steady grounding to their partnership. Williams often wondered if he hadn’t specifically asked for a younger partner to help him keep his mind off of what awaited him when he went home. The younger energy helped Byrne forget the mortality of them all; at least until he clocked out at five to be reminded all over again.
Williams handed Byrne a cup of coffee—black, the way he always drank it—and to a sip of his own—cream, but no sugar—as they peered over their regimen for the day.
After Williams finished reading, he glanced balefully at his watch and then over at his partner. “All we have to do is go over footage, Byrne? Why the hell did we have to be here at 6:30 in the godforsaken morning?”
Byrne sipped at his coffee and peered at Williams over the rim of the Styrofoam cup. “Cause Madame Molta’s happy hour starts at three today, Williams. We finish early; we have more time to celebrate.”
Madame Molta’s was the bar Madison’s MLED’s Aurors always went to after finishing a case. It was bad luck to begin another case without sealing the last one with a schooner of ice cold lager.
Williams paused. “Fair enough,” he said finally with a shrug.
Minutes later, they approached Phil Lackey’s office, one of the very few Aurors in Wisconsin who understood Muggle technology. Entering, Williams and Byrne never failed to be surprised by the piles of…*stuff* that littered the office. Muggle machines and contraptions seemed to seep from every corner and crevice of the tiny room. Carefully edging their way into the room, they searched with their eyes for Lackey, afraid to touch anything with their hands.
After nearly a full five minutes of searching for him without avail, Byrne frowned and took a deep breath. “Lackey!” he shouted.
A pile of metal rubble in the corner jumped sharply and a middle-aged man with a shirt that really…didn’t…fit him and pants that were too large emerged. Lackey always looked as if he tried to shave his stubble in the dark because patches of longer facial hair grew in no particular order along his wide jaw. His laughing beady eyes were framed by thick, black framed glasses that had three or four extra spectacles attached to the frame, ready to enhance or detract his vision on a moment’s notice. His head was bald and his skin tanned and smudged with dirt and grease.
All in all, Phil Lackey was a likable fellow. Albeit strange, but that’s what happened when Wizards became obsessed with Muggle artifacts. They sort of…fall off their rocker a bit.
“Phil!” Williams greeted cheerily. “How’s it hangin’?”
Phil smiled solemnly. “A little to the left, actually.”
Byrne coughed as Williams’ face went slack before he blinked and shook himself from a most unwelcome image. “Phil, we need to review the footage taken a week ago at Willow Station.”
“The B and B?”
“No,” Byrne said, shaking his head. “The British Blunder.”
Phil nodded to himself. “The B and B.”
Williams exchanged an exasperated look with Byrne, whose face was the very mask of tolerance, while Lackey dug through a pile of contraptions and pulled out a sort of projector. Then he plugged some wires into some other things and pushed a small, black, rectangular object into a larger, black, rectangular object. Abruptly, Lackey snapped his fingers and the lights went out. Then, pushing a switch, a moving projection began playing on the far screen.
Byrne and Williams watched dispassionately as the crane shot focused in on the young British Wizard wrap himself in a cocoon of magic and worry the Muggles around him into a panic. Soon, Muggle Law Enforcement surrounded the station and the scene unfolded a bit more dramatically. The power surges from the young Wizard caused some static in the footage, disrupting the cleaner images.
Suddenly, Lackey squealed and pointed. “By me! Is that Harry Potter? It is, isn’t it?”
Williams and Byrne exchanged another glance. They had spoken of that at great length. While they had only communicated directly with British Auror Ronald Weasley and the woman from the Ministry of Magic’s Muggle Affairs division, Hermione Granger, they had realized some time later that the man who had walked through the imploding magic around the blond Wizard had, in fact, been the infamous Harry Potter.
They had seen him, of course, but had not recognized him at all. The lightening bolt scar and his trademark round spectacles had been missing and, to top it off, he hadn’t looked at all like a Wizard nor an Auror. It wasn’t until they began filing paperwork with the British did his become noticed and the connection made that the black-haired young man who had saved the blond Wizard and Apparated them away had been The-Boy-Who-Lived.
Even more interestingly, the blond Wizard had been Draco Malfoy, the man who had killed the Dark Lord who had terrorized Europe some few years back and had been in a coma ever since. To be truthful, the whole story seemed a bit fairytale-ish and Byrne didn’t even believe the Malfoy boy to exist until he had seen him with his own eyes at Willow Station.
They had decided that whatever was going on in England with Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and the Ministry of Magic must be a-whole-‘nother-pickle. Of course, they had wondered why Draco Malfoy would have taken residence in a mental institution in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin in the first place. Even the events that had led up to the spectacle at Willow station had been kept very quiet and left to speculation with the Aurors at MLED, Madison.
“Isn’t it?” Lackey pressed.
Williams nodded before holding out his hand and ordering Lackey to pause the recording. Instantly, the image froze and Byrne stared over at his young partner as Williams squinted at the screen.
“Phil,” Williams said. “Can you zoom in?”
Lackey pressed a few buttons and the image shot forward. When it became focused and clear again, Williams stepped closer, peering at the men that surrounded Harry Potter as the two British Aurors, Anin and Mackle, approached.
“Phil, keep that picture and move it back a few minutes.”
Byrne watched closely as Williams squinted at the screen, the whirring noise of Phil rewinding the recording slowly humming in the background.
“Stop,” Williams said bending forward and pointed at a curly haired, olive-skinned man that had driven Harry Potter to the sight and remained near him all the way until Harry Potter decided to brave the storm of magic that surrounded Draco Malfoy.
“I recognize this man,” Williams whispered.
Byrne studied the man on the screen. The man’s eyes seemed to be everywhere at once whenever no one was looking at him. Byrne didn’t like the way his face changed so often. Byrne had a sinking feeling this case wasn’t quite finished yet. “Who is he, Drew?”
Williams bit his lip. “I can’t remember. I swear, I know him though. And I’m certain he is no Muggle. Did you see his expression when they first arrived? You can tell he’s seen magic before. And look at the way he watches Potter.”
Byrne nodded and took a deep breathe. “Alright. Contact Weimster and Drasin. I want to know his name, what he does, where he lives, and the exact number of freckles he has on his right hand by lunch time.”
“Yes, sir.”
~*~
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
***
Harry looked up from a scroll he was studying from behind his desk and smiled as he saw Draco reading quietly in the corner of the study. The past two days had been good.
Good. Harry used to hate the way that word sounded, thinking that nothing could be described so simply. Except now, thinking back at the few short hours between that private moment they shared in Draco’s room and his confession all the way to this moment, Harry knew the best word to use was ‘good’.
Good and quiet. Yet, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. They were beginning to feel more comfortable in one another’s presence and filling up the space with words didn’t feel necessary.
“Potter, I can feel your eyes on me. Cut it out.”
Scratch that. Never mind.
Harry grinned and looked back at his scroll. “What do you want for dinner?”
Draco looked up. “Why? Are you cooking?”
“Um,” Harry glanced over at Draco again, his smile light. “I really don’t think you’d want me to.”
Draco snickered and bent back over his book. “Slightly makes a wonderful soufflé.”
“Does she?”
“Mmhhmm.”
“Sounds great.”
“You must be tired of reading.”
Harry sighed and rolled up his scroll. “You caught me. I am.”
Draco set his book down and sent one *those* looks towards Harry. “So what do you want to do?”
Harry felt a shiver run down the base of his spine but he matched Draco’s stare boldly and said nothing.
Draco stretched before standing and strolling over to Harry’s desk. Draco placed two hands on the desk and leaned forward. “Would you like me to guess, Potter?”
A slow smile stretched Harry’s lips and he stood as well, coming around the desk and standing behind Draco. Harry wrapped his arms around the Malfoy heir and pressed him full against his body. Draco’s eyes fluttered closed and Harry could actually see Draco’s pulse quicken in the vein of his throat. Harry bent his head and lightly kissed the vein before biting down, not hard enough to draw blood, but just enough to leave a mark. Draco groaned throatily and Harry felt himself harden at the sound.
Harry slid a hand down the flat of Draco’s stomach and grasped one slender hip, pulling Draco closer so he could feel exactly what kind of effect he was having on Harry. Draco rolled his head back onto Harry shoulder and arched his neck, his whole body practically pleading for a kiss. Harry obliged with less control than he had anticipated and a soft growl escaped passed Harry’s throat and disappeared somewhere inside Draco’s mouth as their tongues dueled and sparred.
So much and not enough, Harry abruptly pulled away and placed a small kiss on the back of Draco’s neck before stepping away. “After dinner,” Harry said before leaving the study.
Tantalized, Draco made some indiscernible noise as he whirled around and watched Harry walk from the room. When he heard Harry’s soft laughter echo down the hall and drift back into the study, Draco couldn’t help but smile.
“He’s learning,” Draco murmured wickedly to himself before righting his clothes and following Harry out the door.
Good, indeed.
~*~
A/N: Thank you guys for such wonderful reviewssssssssssss! (Alex, that one was for you. Laugh, dammit.)
kittycat30: The obvious mind games have...been put on hold for the more ambiguous ones. And, you know, so that I can move along with plot and *weeeeeeh!* lemons. I hope you enjoyed the update and thank you for your review!
mariahs_fantasy: LOL, oh, I see. Yeah, that would piss me off too. Don't worry, I would never do that to you guys; you are all too sweet for that kind of mean-ness. Thank you so much for your review!
Soria: Thank you for your review! I was pretty certain of the answer when I saw your question, but I did double check to make sure I didn't accidentally forget a bit of misguided dialogue. No, Ron was instructed to come into his office at the Ministry from 9 to 5 and quote "restrain [him]self to [his] cubicle". What might have been confusing was that Ron had vistited a day or two after his and Harry's little argument to reconcile with his best mate. It wasn't a neccessary thing, just something to tie up their spike of irritation. I appreciate you holding me big and keeping me to my own plot-line though! It helps to remember exactly what has already transpired. We'll see Ron and Hermione again in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoyed the update!
Graballz: Yeah *cough* woops. I have this elongated, dramatic story that explains exactly why I screwed that up, but, hell, i won't bore you with my scars. Thanx again for the tidbit! Caught it quick.
Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed. Yes, very much the Catharsis moment for the two of them. Don't worry about the pressuring, babe. You'll get your lemon in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the update! And thanx again for such a wonderful review!
Heero yuy: Well, thank you very much! You rock, by the way. I hope you enjoyed the update!
lissagal99: *sniffle* Thank you! That makes me feel all gooey inside that I'm hitting the goal, man. The sex is gonna be great, granted, but this story isn't really about the sex. It's about their journey through this quaked out plotline I randomly came up with and the kissing scenes are so very important to me because it shows their range of emotions as they learn something different about one another. I hope you enjoyed the update.
snarrylover: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the update!
airagorn charda: "I love how you've kept them just enough in character to be THEM, but changed them just enough to be OLDER. It really works." --THANK YOU! Wow, that made me feel really good. *god, there's that word again* I was shooting for that and so I'm glad it hit you that way. I usually try to stay away from sappy writing because I can go overboard and end up making readers cry for no reason and all that (I don't know how, really, it just happens); however, it was really important to soften their relationship! What we're moving into now is a strong sense of their needing to depend on one another. I can't really have them fighting over trivial things all the time anymore. So, I needed them to connect, really connect. And get vulnerable with one another. They have alot to learn about trust, the both of them. Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoyed the update!