Closed RP: Stephen and Sarah - The Surprise

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

((This starts Friday morning. Good clean fun with appliances abounds!))


With minimal fuss, Sarah and Stephen had left the school by Floo to seek out a waiting cab in a nearby 'Muggle' village. Their destination, as far as Sarah knew, was Macduff Aquarium in Aberdeenshire, but this whole day just existing was already so incredible to her. They were leaving the castle - and with it she hoped the stress that had plagued them recently - and venturing out into the non-magic world which she had not been in since her arrival. To be fair, she had not gone beyond the castle and grounds except once to Hogsmeade with Stephen, so she was quite excited.

Settled against Stephen's side in the backseat of the cab, she was content to point out things that caught her attention on the drive - and even explain things that might have been interesting to a man from the 19th century - or simply just sit in companionable silence. The familiarity of being in a car after two months was refreshing because it was something distinctly non-magical and not connected to what they had left behind, and it was all that much better for having Stephen, who was already her new 'familiar', right next to her. They both needed this, in her opinion, so she had been ridiculously pleased when Stephen had mentioned the plans. Without knowing it (or so she assumed, as she had never mentioned her birthday), he had given her an early birthday present in this day trip out with him. There was no more she could ask for, and yet...

"Stephen, I think the cabbie's taken us to the wrong place," she said once she had gotten close to his ear to whisper without being overheard. Outside the window of the now stopped cab was a cottage, very lovely but not the aquarium she had been expecting to see. Too preoccupied with the view or with Stephen, she had not even noticed telling road signs that might have led to confusion much sooner.


((R-ish for quite a lot of smut in various places. xD))

Comments

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

With that, the restraint that Sarah been in possession of was gone, leaving just raw emotions. Some she embraced, like her intense feelings of love for this amazing man, others she tried to reject like her fear and the weakness of tears - but she failed to control the tears and they came as she pressed her face into those kisses. "I love you so much," she sobbed softly, trying to get back in control. Brave, strong - things he had called her before and she was neither of them right now.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

His inclination was to hush her, try to soothe her. Perhaps, though, there was something to be said for permitting the storm of emotion to take its course. If nothing else it might exhaust her sufficiently that fatigue could overcome fear. "I love you too," he answered, simply and quietly, "and I am very sorry."

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

With those words, ones so precious to her even now, the things Sarah was holding back did come forth, mostly silent sobs from her face pressed against him. It passed quickly with the fight gone, the printed cows now very damp under her face. That he was apologizing touched her deeply, for she would never have asked for or expected an apology, as she did not blame him.

"It was just an accident," she said hoarsely, "I don't blame you, at all." On the words 'at all' she pulled her face from his chest to look at him, completely serious. "All I need is you now." She was trying for acceptance in the face of him blaming himself, trying to stifle the fears she needed to be able to sleep. It would be a difficult battle.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"Bed, then?" There were two other bedrooms, and he could have offered to go to one of them -- tuck her in like a child and leave her to her rest -- if he had thought for one second she would profit any by that. He suspected even to offer it would provoke another outpouring. He led her to the bed, then reached over to the bedside lamp that still softly illumined the room. "Look, I can switch the light off without help."

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Sarah nodded, letting him lead her to the bed without resistance because it was where he was going as well. She again to the spot she had been in, moving as close to him as possible. She did not slide down to lay, simply sat in the spot she was in with her gaze on him. His words about the lamp got a trembling, but still there, smile from her for a moment. "Fantastic," she said softly.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Lamp off, it was at first extraordinarily dark before one's eyes adjusted. Stephen got into bed and pulled the covers up over them both, putting his arms around Sarah and drawing her down to lie in his arms. "I will be awake too," he said. "I've not my draught either. You will be safe, love, I swear it. If you should dream amiss, and I hear the faintest noise of it, I shall wake you at once." Her face was still wet with tears, and he tried to kiss them away.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Despite not wanting to be in a position to allow sleep to come any easier, Sarah did go without resistance into his embrace. She curled up in his arms, eyes still fixed widely open to fight off sleep. She held tighter to him when he mentioned not having his aide either, momentarily worried for him but unable to voice that worry.

"I know," she said softly at his reassurances and relaxed slightly in his arms despite herself, wine and tears and his presence pushing her closer toward sleep. Even if the dreams came, he would rescue her from them and that thought was so comforting, even if it still did not make her close her eyes. She pressed her face into the kisses, needy for the distraction and the action keeping her from falling eventually asleep. Even now, with the worry of the dreams over her, she was in his arms and loved - nothing else could ever work like that to help her.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen felt helpless, and he hated feeling helpless. Whenever he and his colleagues were stumped, they would converse in Latin rather than in the patient's language, so as to reassure rather than dishearten the patient; it was vital that the patient believe himself or herself in competent hands. Against Sarah's fear he had had one line of defense, and he had been stupid enough to forget it. For the first time he regretted not having learned to fly on a broom, or tolerate the Robot Devil long enough to learn Apparation; he would have given much to be able to retrieve his potions supplies right now. As it was, he could only hold her and murmur ineffectual words of comfort, punctuated by equally ineffectual kisses, desperate and tender.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Yet Sarah did believe she was in competent hands, and more than that, in the arms of the one person she most wanted to be in. She held no blame for Stephen for the forgotten potion and no expectation that he should be able to protect her from getting the dreams, as that was a battle in her mind. He did offer the one solution she knew, eventually, she was going to have to rely on, though the idea of sleeping still panicked her as she clung tighter. She could not stay awake forever, she knew, and his offer of freeing her from the eventual dreams was the one she had to focus on now.

She responded to the desperate tenderness of his kisses with needy touches of her own, one hand moving to his face to cup his cheek and then down his throat to settle over a pulse point. Seeking more comfort and some way to further show she did not blame him, she settled soft kisses on his jaw as she listened to the things he murmured. At the moment, she was just hungry for every bit of comfort he offered and wanted to return it, to convince him that she would be fine as long as he was here.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

With each of them kissing the other's faces, it was only a matter of time before his mouth found hers, and that kiss became less about comfort than about need. Behind it was all the pent-up longing that had fueled the truncated encounter in the kitchen, and added to that, the anguish of having failed her, or feeling as though he had.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Sarah was not certain who initiated the first touch of lips, nor was she truly certain one or the other had taken the lead so much as they both found what they were seeking at once, but she responded readily. She deepened it without hesitation, still wanting to get and give comfort, but feeling her earlier need for him as well. As she was already clinging tightly to him, there was no ground to gain in getting closer, but her hand curled around the back of his head in an attempt to keep him from breaking this off again.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

What was to be gained by stopping? They were here, and without drugs to prevent them from doing as compulsion bade. He knew Sarah had said she needed to fight (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/757463.html?thread=36455895#t36455895) that compulsion, and he had accepted that decision. Yet he was certain that it was Sarah herself, and not the overriding memory-self, that was acting now, and he could not bring himself to turn her away, not after she had been denied her panacea.

And, God, he wanted this so much, had wanted it for so long, though he would swear on any saint that he did not plan for this to happen.