Bound in Leather

here we are once again.... so let\'s get all the unpleasantries out of the way first. the characters found with in this paltry offering are not mine, with exception to al, clarette, and a few others. all other known characters spring from the fertile mind of j.k. rowling. i have merely borrowed them to play as i like. i promise to put them back at one point or another. they might be a bit worn about the edges, but i will return them to their rightful owner. i have no interest in monetary compensation at this time..... or any other, really. i doubt anyone would pay me to do this on a regular basis. it\'s all purely for enjoyment....

i will enact my standing raunch warning. smut may abound in this chapter. i\'m not sure yet. it will all depend upon how al and severus feel. all that comes to mind here folks is rabbits.

please feel free to read and review. i don\'t mind. really. just no flames. i will promptly use them to roast your ass with. then the dragon wants to join in the fray, and it can get bloody messy.

Chapter Seven: An Unwelcome Visit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus stormed from the stage, ignoring the screams of thousands of fans. Ignoring the gathering of groupies waiting in the hallway, where the band had the roadies keep them to make picking a partner for the night that much easier. Ignoring the more than curious and concerned looks his band shot his way as they followed him off stage. He\'d decided five minutes ago that the only thing he wanted to do when he returned to his hotel room was drink himself into the next century. He didn\'t want to look at another woman for as long as he lived.

In the three weeks that had passed since he\'d last seen Alasdair, he\'d done all he could think of to drive the woman from his mind. He\'d brewed and swallowed potions that kept him erect, allowing him to shag four and five times a night. Most often with a different woman. He\'d gotten more blowjobs than he could count. He\'d had threesomes more than once. He\'d even indulged in one of the band\'s group orgies. All in an attempt to purge himself of the feel of her silky skin. The taste of her. The scent of her. To rid himself of all of her. Unfortunately, Al\'s memory had clung like cobwebs to his brain. It refused to let go.

In the last twenty one days, his temper had been quick to provoke and slow to peter out. He was at his wit\'s end. He needed to find some way to free himself of Alasdair Maeve Wyndham.

He stalked into the dressing room, making his way to the portable refrigerator to retrieve whatever alcohol his hand closed over first. A cold bottle of rum willingly volunteered to help make him forget Alasdair and every other woman in the world for the night. Unscrewing the top with a twist of his free hand, he brought the bottle to his lips to drink deeply of the amber liquid, planning to start a fire burning in his belly that didn\'t require the attentions of anyone to put out. \'What bug crawled up your arse and died?\' a familiar voice stopped him. Lowering the bottle, he turned and narrowed his gaze on the person who had spoken.

\'What the bloody hell are you doing here? he growled. \'How the bloody hell did you get past security?\'

\'Surely you haven\'t forgotten that I\'m a Wizard like you, Severus?\' the chuckle that accompanied the statement did nothing to calm his sky-rocketing anger.

\'What do you want, Lupin?\' Severus crossed his arms over his chest, the bottle of rum still clutched in one hand.

\' I thought I might come visit you. Perhaps stay a while. Join you in your self-exile. I am an outcast, too, you know,\' Remus Lupin grinned, then took a seat on the couch in the center of the room. Severus scowled at him.

\'You expect me to believe that shite? Why are you really here?\'

\'Very well,\' Remus sighed. \'You caught me. I\'m here because I need you. Your talents as a Potions Master.\'

\' I am no longer a Hogwarts teacher, Lupin,\' Severus snarled.

\'You\'re still the best damned Potions Master anywhere in the world, Severus,\' Remus replied seriously. His face lost the teasing look it had held, to be replaced with a look of such heavy burden that Severus had to wonder how the other man had managed during his absence. \'Please, Severus? I\'ll beg if I have to.\'

\'Yes, I suppose you\'re good at that,\' he commented dryly. Instead of taking offense, Remus merely smiled. Severus stared at him for several moments in silence, then gave a sigh. \'All bloody right. I\'ll most likely regret this and kill you later, but you can stay with me. I\'ll be able to keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble. And you\'ll be able to keep taking your Wolfsbane potion.\'

\'Great, Severus. Thank you!\' The gratitude was heartfelt. Severus waved it away. Then the teasing smile was back.\'Do I get to wear a pair of those fabulous leather trousers, too? Where ever did you get them?\'

\'Shut it, Lupin. Or I\'ll hex you,\' Severus snapped. If it wasn\'t one bloody thing, it was another. Perhaps it was a bad idea to give in to the wayward shape shifter. But Severus decided he would rather keep the man under his foot than worry about him being left to his own devices. He\'d experienced first hand how dangerous Lupin could be on the full moon. He didn\'t think he was willing to risk Muggles to the death and destruction Lupin\'s wolf form was capable of. \'There will be some ground rules, though.\'

\' I would expect nothing less from you, Severus,\' Lupin nodded, his grin getting wider. Before the dark man could go on, though, the door burst open and the remaining four members of the band flooded into the room. Each one of them had a woman on his arm. Deek had kept his word and dragged Clarette with him, so the woman was a constant presence among the band\'s circle. She smiled as she entered, her gaze flicking to where Severus stood with Remus.

\'What\'s this? A guy? Don\'t tell us you\'re?....\' Turlough asked, looking a bit concerned. It took Severus only a moment to decipher the meaning behind the big man\'s unfinished question. The scowl that formed was enough to send the newcomer into peals of laughter.

\' I am not now, nor have I ever been, gay,\' Severus declared in a deceptively bland voice. Remus knew he was trying to keep from loosing his temper and hexing the man where he stood. An audible, collective sigh went up among the members of the band. They had apparently been worried.

\'That\'s damn good to know!\' Turlough told him, nodding in satisfaction with the answer given. Remus laughed all the harder at the big man\'s seeming concern for his safety. As if Severus would ever... The glare given to him by the man who\'s sexuality was currently in question was enough to send Lupin into gales of laughter, his hands wrapped around his sides to stop them from hurting or exploding.

\'That will be quite enough from the peanut gallery, Lupin. If you cannot keep quiet, I shall be more than happy to find some way to do so for you,\' Severus said, the tightness around the corners of his mouth giving away how mad he was. Remus struggled to maintain some semblence of decorum, but found it nearly impossible when he thought of Snape being sexual. With anyone.

\'So who\'s the new guy?\' Deek asked, nodding in Lupin\'s direction.

\'He\'s an old acquaintance from some years back,\' Severus replied, his tone letting them know he would not discuss it any more than he had. The four faces of his band looked from him to Lupin and back again.The speculation was there to see, plain as day. He sighed. \'We went to school together.\'

\'Ah,\' Jesse nodded in comprehension, which Severus doubted he did. Jesse might be an exceptional bassist, but his grasp on the more mundane things was tenuous, at best. What was it Deek had called him? Oh, he remembered now. A California blonde. Even though Jesse was a brunette. Severus had come to realize that most of what the band said could be classified as an expression of one kind or another.

\'Yes. An old school chum,\' Remus told the group. He didn\'t miss the pointed look Severus sent his way. He stifled the urge to chuckle. \' I came out to see the show and catch up on old times with Severus.\'

\'Cool!\' Fallon nodded, then pulled the red-head he\'d brought with him into his lap and proceeded to give her an oral exam with his tongue. Turlough followed suit, his chosen woman for the evening a pale girl with pitch black hair who was obviously part of the Goth scene. Severus sneered in their direction, then moved over to the other side of the room, his bottle still held in one hand.

Remus joined him, his gaze watching the two men with their evening\'s entertainment. He was somehow not surprised to find that this was where Severus had gone when he\'d left Hogwarts, and the Wizarding World at large, behind. The rock n roll life style seemed to suit him. Lupin was certain that most people thought the Severus Snape they saw was his stage persona. Wouldn\'t they be surprised to find that he was like that all the time? He let his gaze rake the room once more and noted that there were enough women present for the four others. Severus was alone.

\'Dude. What the hell has been wrong with you these last three weeks? You\'ve been a royal pain in the ass. Why don\'t you have a woman here?\' Deek asked, as if he had read Remus\' mind. His arm was around Clarette while her hands were currently working at getting the ties at his waist undone.

\'There is nothing wrong,\' Severus replied, taking a long pull off the bottle to emphasize that he was not entirely honest with his answer. Deek snorted.

\'You need to get laid, dude. You\'re as uptight as I\'ve ever seen you,\' the blonde answered him, not one bit afraid of the temper that was now working at boiling over. Severus did not need free analysis from any member in the band. These men truly did not know him. They had no place to tell him what he did and didn\'t need. When he caught Lupin giving him the same sort of glare, he snarled at the lot of them and took another drink. The last thing he needed or wanted right now was to be reminded of Al.

A mutterd curse brought everyone\'s gaze to him, each one pointedly saying they knew he was lying through his teeth. He didn\'t need their aggravation. He was quite certain that Remus would provide enough by his merely being in the same country as he. Gods, he couldn\'t decide what had happened to him. All he did know was that he had been perfectly content to find himself a new woman every night and use her for his own needs. To use her like she used him. But that had changed over a month ago when he\'d laid eyes on the impish face of a woman who was unlike any he\'d ever met before.

Al had bewtiched him. She haunted his every waking moment. And she had invaded every one of his dreams. She was all he could think of. Unless he found a way to break her hold on him, he was a doomed man....

~*~*~*~*~

The soft knock on the door startled Severus from his thoughts. They had returned to the hotel several hours ago, and he was certain most everyone that was related to the band was sleeping. Even Lupin was sprawled over the spare bed, snoring away contentedly as if he hadn\'t a care in the world. Severus had found himself unable to fall asleep, and had decided to pass the time staring out the glass doors at the night sky. He turned, noting that Remus never once stirred at the noise. Some wolf the man was if he didn\'t waken the instant some foreign sound hit his ears.

When the door swung open, Severus was shocked to find Clarette standing there. She was wearing a robe in dark red, with purple and lighter red paisleys decorating it. Her hair was thoroughly mussed, suggestiong Deek put as much energy into his bed skills as he did into pounding the skins. \'May I come in?\' she asked him, her voice low so she wouldn\'t disturb anyone.

He nodded and stepped back from the door, allowing her to step inside. He shut the wooden panel behind her, then gestured toward the balcony. She gave him her own nod, then moved over to the sliding glass doors. He was behind her, reaching for the latch so he could slide the door open for her. Once both of them were outside, he pulled it nearly all the way shut, then gave her a look that said she needed to come straight to the point.

\' I know I haven\'t been with the group very long, but I know what I see,\' she leaned an elbow against the railing, propping her head into her hand as she stood sideways to face him. He leaned on the railing, staring straight ahead of him.

\'And what is it you think you see?\' his silken voice cut through the near silence, covering the faint sounds drifting up from the street below. He wasn\'t certain he was ready to hear what she had to say, but it was better to get it over with immediately so he could get rid of her and go back to sulking in peace.

\' I see a man who is terribly unhappy. When we first met, you were in a sour mood. But you disappeared for a time and was nearly human the next day,\' she told him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

\'Something I am working on solving straight away,\' he replied drolly. She chuckled, ignoring the obvious sarcasm in his voice. \'Get on with it, then. If you think you know....\'

\'Ah, yes. I think you have yourself a woman. Someone special, and you don\'t get to see her often enough. Being away from her is making you a right bastard,\' she commented. He gave a sound that was suspiciously similar to a snort. She gave him a curious look, inviting him to explain his side of the story.

He kept his face turned forward, staring out into the darkness.For a few moments, Clarette was certain he wasn\'t going to tell her anything. But the words came, his voice low. It was somehow dangerous in the near silence and dark. A prickle of fear ran down her spine as he spoke. \'I happen to be a right bastard. I have always been a right bastard. But that\'s beside the point. The point here is that I found a woman who was most capable in bed and now I cannot forget her.\'

\'Ah, I understand now. She has made it hard for you to do the whole rock star, lead singer thing and sleep with a different woman every night. Sounds very much to me like you\'re smitten with her,\' the woman grinned up at him. The way he scowled pushed her on. \'Can\'t forget her, can you?\'

\' I don\'t see how this is any of your business,\' he growled at her, changing the subject. She let him, deciding she could answer his question.

\' It\'s affecting your band. That makes it just about everyone\'s business,\' she replied softly. She reached out a hand and put it on his arm. \'Deek is really worried about you. He says he\'s never seen you act like this. He likes you alot.\'

\'Does he?\' Severus barely managed to keep the shock from his voice. He knew the members of the band tolerated him, but this was the first time he\'d heard that any of them had any kind of friendly feelings toward him. It was rather a surprise to him to know that someone, anyone, liked him. \'Well, goodie for him.\'

\'Don\'t be a dick, man. It\'s good to have friends. The entire band looks up to you. They all have told me that they wouldn\'t have reached the levels of fame they have, had it not been for you. Oh, they feel they would have gotten a deal, gotten signed, and made the big time. But they would never have been as successful as you\'ve helped make them,\' Clarette told him, a wicked grin on her face.

He made some kind of noise in the back of his throat. She took it to mean anything. Giving him a wink, she pressed on. \' I\'d never say this in front of Deek, and should it ever get back to him, I\'ll deny it vehemently. I will admit to you here and now that you are one of the sexiest front men I\'ve ever seen. And your voice is like velvet, silk, and steel all balled into one. An orgasm just waiting to happen to the right girl, I assure you.\'

\' I don\'t know if I\'m as certain about that assessment as you are, but I shall take your word for it,\' he drawled slowly. She laughed again, liking his dry sense of sarcastic humor. It fit him well. \' If you are quite through?\' he prodded, letting her know that she had pushed her luck.

\'Alright. I\'m going. But I will say one more thing, Severus. If she means that much to you, don\'t let her slip away. You\'ll live to regret it if you do,\' she told him, then turned and slid the door open, stepping into his hotel room without another word. He heard the door close, letting him know he was alone on the balcony. It would give him the opportunity to think.

It was nearly half an hour later that he stepped into his hotel room. The light by his bed was on, and he strolled over to it so he could turn it off. Leaving his jeans on, he slipped onto the empty mattress to try and fall to sleep. He had come up with nothing helpful out on the balcony.

The bed next to his shifted, then the lights came back on. Lupin was sitting up on the bed, staring at him. Severus glanced at him, giving the other man his singular cocked brow that could mean nothing and everything at once. Remus knew it for the question it was. He sighed and drew his knees up under his chin, wrapping his arms around them. \'The woman is right, you know,\' he told the dark man across from him.

\'Whatever are you talking about, Lupin?\' Severus sneered, not wanting to hear how to manage his affairs from the shape shifter. He bent his arms at the elbow, cupping the back of his hands behind his head. He returned his stare to the ceiling, ignoring the way Remus watched him. All he wanted now, as he hadn\'t been able to indulge in complete drunken oblivion, was to fall asleep and enjoy one night of slumber without dreaming about Alasdair.

\'Don\'t play stupid with me, Severus. I know better. You are one of the most annoyingly intelligent men I\' ve ever had the displeasure to meet. If you\'ve found a woman you like to spend time with, don\'t throw the whole thing aside because you feel you don\'t need anyone,\' Lupin said soflty, a tiny hint of some faint emotion coloring his words. That was something Severus refused to allow himself to think about. \'You have paid your dues. You are allowed to let yourself enjoy some of those mundane things you\'ve never considered before.\'

\' I have no desire to become entangled with a simpering, emotional female,\' Severus shot back with perhaps a touch too much force in his voice. He wasn\'t sure if he meant to convince Lupin or himself of the fact. He chose not to think on it over long. It was something he felt he didn\'t want to know.

\' I\'m not talking about those kinds of emotional entanglements,\' Remus sighed. \' I\'m talking about a good shagging every once in a while. If she is worth you remembering, then she must be rather.... talented in bed. Take advantage of that, if she agrees to it. Don\'t deny yourself a good shag because you\'re an absolute arsehole who is completely devoid of any feeling.\'

\'Keep talking, Lupin. The further into your mouth you put that foot of yours, the more enjoyable it shall be for me to watch you try to extract it,\' Severus sneered at the other man. Remus gave him a small, somewhat sad smile, then settled back against his bed with a sigh.

\' For the love of Merlin, Severus,\' he finally said, his voice a near whisper in the silence of the room. \' I never said you had to let the woman in and see that black heart of yours. I know you are quite incapable of love. But none of us wants to see you when you\'re at your worst behavior. I can deal with you when you\'re in a snarky mood. I do not want to see you when you\'re down right cranky. Good night.\'

With that, Lupin rolled onto his side, presenting Severus with his back. One of the man\'s hands reached up and turned the little knob on the lamp, plunging the room into darkness once more. Severus lay on his back, staring up into the gloom of the hotel room for some time, his mind turning over all he\'d heard. It didn\'t matter that he didn\'t want to think on it any longer. It was something his brain refused to let rest.

It was some time before sleep finally overtook him. And even then, he was nowhere nearer a solution to his problem. Damn the woman for doing this to him. Just when he\'d finally found a place where he felt he fit in, someone had to come along and turn his world on it\'s ear. It was just his bloody luck.

~*~*~*~*~

\'What\'s the matter, hon?\' Brenda asked as she stepped into the break room. Alasdair sat in one of the hard plastic chairs, her chin resting in her hands. She looked as if someone had run over her puppy. And her gerbil. It didn\'t bode well. Brenda had noticed, seeing as she had made herself Al\'s second mother, in the last couple of weeks that the girl had not been quite herself. Not that she hadn\'t been efficient and cheery when on the clock. But before punching in for her shift and after getting off for the evening, Al had been suffering from a mild case of listlessness. It had Brenda worried.

\'Nothing. I\'m alright,\' Al returned, lifting her gaze to meet the older woman\'s. \'Mom has been really bad this week and Kevin\'s been a royal dick and.....\' the girl\'s voice trailed off, her gaze shifting to the back wall for a moment.

\'And what, duck?\' Brenda pressed, hoping Al would open up and tell her everything.

\' It\'s nothing. I\'m fine. Really,\' she turned her blue-eyed stare back to the older woman and gave her a brilliant smile. Brenda stared at her a moment, not believing the bullshit Al was shovelling at her. But she said nothing, deciding that if it was something really important, the girl would tell her what was troubling her.

\'Alright, duck. Best get back at it. Sheila is up to her usual tricks and the tables are full,\' Brenda said, bringing the girl to her feet. Al tied her apron on, plastering her smile firmly on her face. Then she followed Brenda out the door and headed for the first table. Somehow, Al got the feeling it was going to be a long night.

When she finally punched herself out after her shift, it was nearly three. The Pit had done some stellar business, as there had been a rather huge wedding that day. What appeared to be half the invited guests had come in to put food on their stomachs and absorb some of the mass quantities of alcohol consumed at the reception. The tips had been exceptional, as most of the diners had still been drunk when they left. And, in all honesty, Al didn\'t mind the extra work.

As much as Al loved the woman, her mother was always sick. She didn\'t really feel up to visiting most of the time when it was only her and Al at home. And when Kevin was there, Al wanted to stay as far from him as she could. This was one of those nights he was at home the entire time, so a little extra work was good. It kept her away from him. If she wasn\'t there, he couldn\'t really find something she had supposedly done to use as an excuse for hitting her.

She sighed thankfully, taking a waxy paper cup filled with iced pop with her as she stepped out the door. It was silent on the street, something she found she was immensely thankful for. Al stopped along side of her little car, the key in her hand to unlock the door with. She stood there a moment and looked at the vehicle, then shook her head and turned away. It was still too nice to go home and call it a night. She stuffed her keys back into her pocket and turned around, making for the park just up the street.

She hadn\'t been here since she\'d last seen Severus. It was strange to be going back to the place. It held some rather intense memories for her. She\'d not wanted to come back and relive the time she\'d spent on that table with Severus. She knew he\'d meant it when he said he wouldn\'t be back again. She wasn\'t that important in the grand scheme of things. And she could accept that.

But some part of her had secretly wished he\'d come back to see her. Just so she could sit and look at him, drink in the dark sensuality that seemed to be so much a part of him. It was silly and unrealistic to think he would want to come back for her. She knew he\'d been angered with her when he\'d left that last time. She wasn\'t sure what she\'d done to make him mad, but she\'d done it. Maybe she was lacking in experience. Compared to the other women he had to have been with, she could see how that would upset him.

Al sighed and took a seat on the table top. When she looked around, she found that she was sitting on the very same table they had sat on nearly a month ago. She\'d wanted to come back the next day, in the daylight, to see what she\'d done to the wood. Upon getting in he car and leaving him, she had gone home and soaked in the tub before bed. And again when she\'d gotten up. A third after her shift that night. None of her hot baths had eased the dull, aching pain that had reminded her for several days after what she\'d done.

She\'d found bruises marring her skin from his fingers. There had even been several pale ones marring the insides of her thighs. She\'d found she had indeed bitten her lip with her teeth. She\'d seen proof of Severus\' anger with her painted on her body. It hadn\'t bothered her. At least, not as much as finding she had lost all control when he\'d suddenly given over to driving painfully into her welcoming flesh. To know that that kind of abuse had excited her had been frightening.

She was afraid she didn\'t know who she was anymore. It was not a thought to make her feel good about herself.

Al heaved a sigh, wondering why she couldn\'t shake him from her mind. She\'d known that very first night that he wasn\'t likely to be looking for anything beyond an easy lay. And that was something she could live with. She wasn\'t so stupid as to think that one night with her would spell happily ever after for the two of them. Even when he\'d shown up suddenly the second time, she\'d still told herself not to get too excited. He was a famous musician, and he could have any woman he wanted. Whenever he wanted. She couldn\'t hope to compete with that. She knew she wasn\'t that special.

Still, she thought about Severus at the most inopportune moments. She felt he was mocking her, telling her that she meant nothing to him. Even though he meant something to her. Even though his attentions had meant something she\'d never be able to explain. At night, when she slept, she dreampt of his attentions until she woke up feeling empty. Her body ached for his touch, throbbing with a need she knew no one else would ever be able to fill. She\'d tried, with her own hands. But it hadn\'t been the same.

Sitting on the table, lost in thought, Al ran her hands absently over the scarred surface. Her fingers stopped when they found the gouges her nails had dug into the wood. They were fairly deep, despite the thick density of the wood. She must have been completely gone with pleasure and pain to have done that without noticing. She chuckled, deciding it didn\'t really matter. She had been enjoying herself fully that night.

The mere thought of that far too memorable evening sent moisture flooding between her thighs. Al groaned, squeezing her legs together tightly. It did nothing more than make the desire running through her veins burn hotter. She needed to get laid. Apparently, she needed it really badly.

Heaving a sigh, she slipped off the picnic table and headed for the sidewalk. She may as well go home to her lonely little room. Maybe she\'d be lucky and Kevin would be asleep. Not having to contend with him always put her in a better mood. The short trip back to her car was as uneventful as it ever was, and it was only a few moments before she had the door opened to allow her access.

The trip home was spent in near silence, the radio tuned to a local station that was notorious for wearing out the latest single released by Severus\' band, Sweet Pain. As it happened, her favorite song by them was playing. \"The Eyes of Death\" had struck a particular chord with her. She couldn\'t say why, but it was most assuredly her favorite song by them. She sang along as she drove, the words slipping from between her lips absently.

Dread curled up in the pit of her stomach when Al parked her car in the driveway. A light was shining out of the front windows, telling her that Kevin was still up. She would have to contend with him before she could get any rest tonight. She heaved a sigh as she got out of the car, moving toward the door with less enthusiasm than she would have when approaching a root canal.

She was careful to open the door as silently as she could, shutting it with the same care. She turned the locks, then crept to the doorway leading into the living room. Kevin sat in his recliner, head tilted at an angle. He\'d fallen asleep watching television. She tip toed her way across the floor to the stairs that lead to the upper level. She sighed again, glad to have gotten out of any sort of confrontation with him.

She slipped her clothes off in the dark, letting them lay where she dropped them. She wasn\'t in the mood to pick them up tonight. She would do that in the morning. For now, all she wanted was to crawl into bed and try to block some of the memories that were now assaulting her. It was times like this that she wished she drank. The numbing affects of alcohol would be terribly welcome. After what seemed like hours, she finally drifted off.

~*~*~*~*~

Remus Lupin stared at the little house, painted a rather drab grayish color, and sighed. He had no bloody idea what had possessed him, other than the fact that he hated to see Severus be a complete prat with anyone who looked at him. How he\'d talked himself into this lunacy was still a mystery, but here he was. And it hadn\'t been easy.

He\'d practically had to get Severus completely pissed with a bottle or two of Ogden\'s Old Firewhisky he\'d brought with him, then pushed past the man\'s natural defenses to get the bloody information from him. It wasn\'t until the Potions Master had been on the verge of passing out that he had opened up and started speaking. When Remus had asked him about this mystery woman, he had been rather surprised to find Severus\' tongue loosened enough to spill the beans, as the Muggles liked to say.

The name Al had thrown him for a loop. Alasdair hadn\'t been any better, in his opinion. It had given Remus a moment of pause as he\'d briefly considered Turlough\'s seemingly unfounded questions of homosexuality. Perhaps there was more to it than that. But the thought had fled when Severus had gone on to describe the girl in perfect detail. Then Remus had mentally laughed at his own folly. A man, indeed. Severus was so flaming heterosexual, it wasn\'t funny.

It had taken some coaxing on Lupin\'s behalf to get further information from Severus other than she had a bloody talented mouth. That was something he didn\'t want to contemplate. With another glass of Ogden\'s Old, infused with the smallest amount of a potion guaranteed to get the dark headed man to spill it all, he\'d finally gotten the information he was seeking. Alasdair\'s full name and descritption, her address, and her place of work. That was the easy part.

It was also why he now found himself standing in front of the little gray house, wondering if he\'d gone completely mental in the last few days. He\'d never been an active member of the Severus Snape fan club, but he hated to see the man so miserably unhappy. Not when it was obvious that he was thoroughly enjoying the lifestyle that came along with being a Rock God. And, while he wasn\'t really the man\'s friend, Remus was a close to the real thing as one got. He would do whatever he could to bring Severus back to his normal level of bastardness.

Remus heard the sound of a door opening and looked at the house. A girl was stepping out, dressed in a pair of shorts that looked as if they had seen too much wear and far better days and tank top that molded itself to her frame. Her honey brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail that sat high on her head. Judging from her youthful appearance and the shortness of her heighth, he guessed her to be the woman in question.

Giving himself a mental push, he straightened his borrowed clothes of tattered jeans and a t-shirt that had the name Black Sabbath emblazened upon it, then stepped toward the girl. He was only about three feet away when she sensed his presence and looked at him. Her eyes were nearly as blue as the cloudless sky over head. She was wary of him, but her posture was still relaxed. She apparently saw him as no threat.

\'Alasdair?\' he asked her. Her eyes went wide a moment, then they narrowed and she set her hands on her hips.

\'Just who is asking?\' she questioned, eyeing him with all the regard of a snake staring at a bird just before striking.

\'My name is Remus Lupin. I\'m a friend of Severus,\' he told her. The eyes went wide again, then her lips stretched up in a faint smile.

\'You know Severus? Are you with the band?\' she asked him. He could hear the hope in her voice, telling him that she hadn\'t forgotten the surly Potions Master any more that he had forgotten her. It was an encouraging sign.

\'No, I\'m not with the band. I\'m merely and acquaintance of his. I\'ve come to ask you if you would like to.... erm, that is...... Oh, bloody hell!\' he muttered, raking a hand through his long hair. She watchind him in silence, waiting for him to go on. It was obvious he was having troubles expressing himself. With a sigh, he gave it another go. \'How would you like to see him and the band in concert again? Tonight?\'

\'I\'d love it!\' she began, then the excitement that colored her face left. Her expression fell. \'But I have to work, and I have no way to get there. I can\'t afford it. And I really can\'t leave for very long. My mother is sick and....\'

He held up a hand, prompting her to silence. She stared at him as he smiled at her. \'What if I can guarantee that you will only be gone for the night, and that all of the expenses are taken care of?\'
he asked her. She stared at him, disbelief plain to read on her face.

\'Does Severus know about this?\' she asked him. Remus gave her a smile that told her he didn\'t. She shook her head. \' I hate to sound ungrateful, but I won\'t be used. He pretty much told me that he didn\'t need me beyond sexual gratification, and I can live with that. But if he wants me, he needs to come to me and tell me himself.\'

\'He won\'t. Severus is a stubborn, proud man. He has himself convinced that he doesn\'t need anyone, and that you are merely a means to an end. But those of us who know him, who have spent more than two minutes with him, know this is a lie,\' Remus explained to her. \'He finds that you have gotten under his skin, and he doesn\'t quite know how he should deal with that. So he is being a complete prat and treating the rest of us like we are shite under his feet.\'

\'You\'ve got to be kidding me,\' she shook her head. He smiled at her ruefully. She was obviously more than willing to go, but she was also trying to protect herself from getting hurt. Perhaps she, too, found herself wishing for more than she had been allowed.

Most interesting.

\' I am completely serious, my dear. And so is my offer. I rather think, once he stopped being pissed at me, he\'ll be glad I\'ve taken it upon myself to do this,\' Remus chuckled as he imagined the reaction he was to get from Severus, should this work. He really enjoyed the verbal sparring matches he and the other man got into.

\'No strings attached?\' she sounded skeptical.

\'No strings attached. On my honor,\' he smiled at her. She cocked her head a moment, obviously giving his offer serious thought. After a few moments, she straightened and gave him a stern look.

\'Let\'s get one thing straight here, mister. This is on my terms. There will be no fucking madly in the halls unless I want it. Don\'t expect me to just fall at his feet. I may find him drop dead gorgeous, but I do have my standards. If he wants me, he needs to tell me,\' she told him, her tone clearly stating that she meant what she said.

\'Of course,\' Remus nodded, fighting off the urge to laugh out loud at her statement. Oh, Severus would have his bloody hands full with this one. It would be well worth standing in the shadows to watch.

\'Well, alright then. I don\'t see how I can refuse such a gracious honor delivered by such a handsome man,\' she replied, her smile spreading across her face.

\'You\'re teasing me, my dear. I know that you find Severus.....\' he paused, as if searching for the words. \'Drop dead gorgeous.\' She laughed at him, at the way he said her words back to her. He grinned at her, then handed her a small sqaure of folded paper. \'This has all the information you need. The flight and where to meet it. I will meet you at the airport in Chicago this evening.\'

Al took the paper he offered her, slipping it into the pocket of her jean shorts. She nodded, giving him a smile, then opened the driver\'s side door of her car. She slipped into the seat, then turned to look at him. \'Can I drop you somewhere?\'

\'No, thank you. I have my own transportation,\' he replied. She nodded, giving him another smile, then she closed the car door and turned over the ingnition. He watched the little car pull away, her hand waving at him merrily as she went. He waved back, waiting until she was out of sight before he Apparated back.

Severus was going to bloody kill him....

end chapter seven.
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my many heartfelt thanks go, as always, to madam shark. she\'s my beta, my inspiration, my best friend. she helps so much, and i can never thank her enough.

also, many thanks go to red, kenly, and simone. you guys always read, no matter what kind of shite i spew forth. i love you guys bunches. ~many huggles~

also, thanks go to all those of you who are reading this. the idea hit me and i couldn\'t make it go away. glad you\'re all enjoying it.

to Red: a vice? owwwwie.... no.... oh wait, I can kiss it and make it better then, can\'t i? ~evil grin~ Oh, Severus..... come here! no.. i don\'t have anything behind my back....

to jkrazed: i\'ll call you Al, you call me Al.... we can all be Al. yes, sex in public, with the Master.... oh yes.... damn! Dobby, bring the bucket!

to star: thanks, i\'m glad you\'re enjoying and reading. sorry it took so long to update, but the ending was giving me fits.but here it is. and i think the long hair, combined with leather, is too sexy on him. Damn it! Dobby, where\'s that bloody bucket?

as always, reviews are nice. not required, but nice.....

oh yes... there is more smut on the way!