A/N: thanks for all the reviews! I love them and read them all. I am going to post often, trying to catch up to the next chapter I am writing…Ch. 37! This should be about 40 chapters long in case anyone was wondering! Thanks so much!
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Love, Love, Love
Marissa couldn't sleep. She had tossed and turned for two hours listening to the sound of the continuing rain, the sounds of her dorm mates rustling and occasionally talking in their sleep. When she had told Janet what she said, she had gotten a huge hug and a "way to go". Janet, too, was just as interested as Marissa was to know what Brian was going to say back.
Marissa didn't think what he would've said was anything upsetting, but she wanted a comment
nonetheless.
`Darn parents,' Marissa thought wryly staring up at the shadowy canopy over her bed. Turning her head slightly she saw her clock on the nightstand: 5:30am. She had gotten about four hours of sleep, fitfully and had now lain awake for the past half hour. It was very annoying, not being able to doze off, so she made the decision to get up, shower, and find something to eat. St. Mungo's visiting hours didn't start until nine in the morning, but Marissa was hoping she could sneak in. If he was asleep, she could wait impatiently…but she felt that she HAD to see him.
`No idea what I'm going to say after spilling my guts,' Marissa thought as she washed her hair in the shower, managing to squeeze out the last few drops of her shampoo. `I'm anxious to see what he says, but at the same time not,' she continued thinking to herself. She took her time in the shower since no one else was up, shaving her legs, then afterwards applying her favorite lotion. She dried her hair, pulling it out with a brush so it was straight, then made the decision to wear something nice. Having been at school she always had on the uniform, her jeans or pants and a casual top. Standing in her robe, she illuminated her wand and ran it over her hanging clothes in the wardrobe, finally settling on a soft yellow floral skirt that Lavender made for her last Christmas and the matching long sleeve top, without the pattern. Carefully and quietly she put on nylons using magic because she always managed to get a run in them, found her flats and in under an hour she was dressed and ready to go.
But it was only 6:45 and breakfast didn't start until 7, though sometimes there happened to be fruit or bagels out
so she decided to head down stairs. Some houses had 8am Quidditch practice, thankfully it wasn't hers. She half
expected Shane McLaughlin to cancel practice…he couldn't risk anyone on his team getting sick or hurting
themselves, not this close to the House Cup.
Quietly making her way down to the Common Room she saw that no one was up yet from her house, but it was a different story when she got out into the hall. Most of the Slytherin Quidditch team was up and she could hear them mumbling about having to practice in the rain.
Silently and alone she made her way to the great hall and grabbed some fruit that was ever present on the table. Making her way back up to her common room (so she could floo to the hospital from there) she munched on her apple and ducked back into the portrait making her way to the fireplace. She found her bag and checked to make sure she had a few galleons in case she wanted a snack. Looking up she saw a new notice on the board, which must've just been posted. Making her way to it she saw Shane had cancelled practice and that Tuesday's was still on for 4pm. Smiling and whispering, "YES!" she grabbed her bag, went to the fireplace and floo'd into a quiet St. Mungo's.
She decided to take the stairs because it was quieter and it led her out closer to his room. She had the distinct feeling he was awake. He was always up before the sun when they had been kidnapped, and she figured with all the naps he took Brian probably didn't sleep in late. Opening the door she saw a Healer walk out of Brian's room then pause, as if turning back because she was called. Ducking back behind the stairwell door she heard the Healer say she would come back later in the morning to check up on him.
Feeling relieved that he was awake, she waited until the Healer had turned the corner before she slid out from behind the door and with her heart pounding she walked to his door. Before she could lose her nerve she opened it and stuck her head in…he was standing up, pulling on a shirt and when he yanked it down over his face he saw her.
"Come on in," he said, pulling his green t-shirt down over his chest and stomach. She shut the door and leaned back against it. As they watched each other silently, Marissa began to wonder if this was the best idea.
"Do you want me to go until…," she started and Brian walked towards her shaking his head. Her head tilted up as he walked over to her, a bit slower than normal but he was up and moving which was great to see.
"I'm glad you're here," he trailed a finger down her cheek and Marissa stared at him afraid to ruin the moment. "We actually have hours until my parents come or anyone else for that matter."
She gave a slight nod of understanding and felt his hand run down her arm ending at her hand and then holding it softly like it was going to crack. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Marissa sighed feeling her eyes close on their own volition as he kissed her forehead, then her other cheek and finally her lips. Without moving she dropped her bag next to them and felt him pull her back towards the bed. Twisting her face from him for a second she asked if he felt alright. He nodded and when he reached the bed he moved so she could sit next to him and within seconds they picked up where they left off.
Leaning over and kissing her they relaxed against the pillow enjoying the feeling of being unhurried. However, it wasn't long until tongues were sweeping against each other; hands were running along each others arms…until that wasn't enough. Somehow while lying on their sides Marissa tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his pajama pants and found his bare back, enjoying how he pressed down into her when she ran her hands up his spine. Wrapping her arms around him she felt her body responding to his touches and the feel of his mouth on hers; then on her neck… gasping when he kissed her tenderly under her ear. She felt a shiver run down through her body and gave into him, letting him do what he wanted because it felt so good.
"You sure…," Marissa said as she tore her mouth from his, feeling his hands tug at her shirt, "No one is going to come in?"
Brian sat up a bit and tugged her shirt out of her skirt pausing just long enough to look at her smooth flat stomach
then raised his eyes to hers.
"They won't." He let go of her shirt for a moment, stretched a hand over to the table next to her, grabbed his wand and flicked it at the door locking it. He saw her eyes go wide and he set the wand back down, studying her intently as his hand slowly moved up inside her shirt.
"Okay?" he asked, meaning more than just the locked door. She nodded and felt his hands move further up then graze over her breast as he pressed his lips to hers. Pounding filled her head, her whole body, as he caressed and massaged her bringing forth little moans of pleasure. Her hands ran up the front of him, her nails lightly scraping his skin and he relaxed into her, pinning her hands on his shoulders.
Soon, his hands grabbed a fistful of her skirt and slowly pulled it up until it was above her knees and suddenly she couldn't stay still. She shifted her hips until she was on top of him, feeling him hike up her skirt until she could place a leg on either side of him. She heard him stifle a groan against her lips as she pressed her lower body into his, bringing back feelings and thoughts of what they did in the darkness weeks ago. He pulled his hands out, again, from her shirt as if realizing she just now had a buttons up the front. Blindly his fingers managed to open up her blouse, one button at a time and when she felt cool air hit her stomach she jerked back as if surprised to find herself half undressed. This wasn't what she had planned on when she woke up hours ago, but it was perfectly fine that her morning was turning out like this.
"Can I?" he said tugging at the arm of her shirt. Marissa felt her heart skip a beat knowing that it had been pitch black when they had rolled around with out shirts and pants. Now, the lights were dim and he would be able to see her; Marissa came to the realization that she trusted him as much as she had ever trusted anyone. Nodding slightly she felt him pull her sleeve down and lovingly help her out of it, arm by arm then she tossed it on the chair next to them, shaking her head slightly to get her long strawberry blond hair out of her face.
As if to make the playing field even, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it forcing him to break his gaze as he sat up, causing her to lean back on her knees, and grabbed the end of his shirt, yanked it off his head then tossed it on top of hers on the chair next to them.
Slowly his eyes slid to her stomach and Marissa swore she could feel a slight tingling sensation following the trail of his gaze as those dark, unreadable eyes journeyed up, pausing on her new, lacy, tan bra then traveled up to her eyes. Marissa sucked in her breath, resisting the urge to cover herself. Brian ended up doing that for her, bringing the skin to skin contact to a new level. Her breathing was shallow as his lips grazed across her collar bone and she felt him touch her hair, her neck and her cheek. Turning her head she kissed his palm and he looked up at her in surprise pausing for a just a moment then meeting her lips tasting the apple she had for breakfast. Somehow on the narrow bed he moved so she was now under him.
She loved the feel of him stretched out against her, her arms wrapped around his back, hands moving slowly as they skimmed down over his rear, surprised at the response she received as he pressed his lower body into hers. Her mind was reeling at the thought of doing what they were doing in a hospital bed. They had shared their thoughts on sex; on each other's first times and what they wanted it to be like and in a stilted conversation both had admitted that a nice romantic place, or their own room, would be the place to do something that important. But, that thought slid from her mind as his hand slid between them and what Marissa felt next was beyond anything she had ever imagined. Brian James Potter had the best hands she could have ever imagined and she never thought that he could make her feel things she had only read about or heard in snippets of conversation from Jillian or Cassandra.
He was hesitant at first, his hand over her nylons, in the spot no one had ever touched before now and when she didn't stop him he became more bold, seeing what kind of cause and effect he was capable of. When she thought she was going to explode from the inside out he grabbed her hand, which was copying his movements on a certain part of his body, turned her and slid on top of her feeling her legs grip his hips and move against him. He planted his hands on either side of her shoulders and their lips barely touched as they explored their limited sexual world-- feeling the need to move faster and faster, rubbing and moving against each other.
Needing, wanting, to feel her warm skin against his he lowered himself down onto his arms and kissed Marissa's jaw following it to her neck and feeling her reaction of arching up, with astounding strength, preceding the soft cries that fell from her lips. Her hands gripped his hips, pulling him, pressing him into her as she shuddered over and over. Clinging to him and with Marissa still moving under him he felt the air rush out of his lungs making him gasp into her neck feeling the tension release from his body in a most pleasant way.
Marissa basked in the afterglow of her and Brian's intimate moment, thinking how crazy it was to be laying in his hospital bed with him nestled on top of her, his head bowed on to her shoulder breathing heavily and she began to silently laugh, her chest shaking under his cheek.
"I don't think it's supposed to be funny," he said sarcastically in a soft voice.
"Oh no, definitely not," Marissa said squeezing him as hard as she could. "Just the thought that we seem to fool around in the strangest places."
"Well, it's been a strange journey, but…," he lifted up his head a bit and she turned to look at him a slight smile on her face. "It doesn't change the way I feel about you." Her heart beat painfully at what that statement meant and her throat seemed to close around itself. "I wanted to respond to what you said last night…but well…my parents came in then you left. Now, you arrive wearing a skirt and that perfect top and I became sidetracked."
"It's okay…I shouldn't have put you on the spot," Marissa said as they eased onto their sides. She was afraid he might have a heart attack doing something like this…seeing that his face was so flushed.
"You didn't," he pulled her closer, their heads back on the pillow so they could see each other in the dim light. "I wish I could have reacted sooner so you didn't go back to school wondering what my response was going to be."
Marissa laughed to herself, happy that he was able to deduce what her feelings were and get them right. His hand pressed into her back forcing her closer until there wasn't a gap between their mouths.
`I could do this forever,' Marissa thought happily kissing him back for a good long while until he pulled away a bit breathless.
"I… love you too, Marissa Malfoy," he said against her lips and she froze, her eyes locked with his. Jumping slightly she felt the soft material of her blouse, he silently accio'd over, against her back and she relaxed enough to let Brian help her back into her shirt.
"I…wow…I'm not sure what to say," Marissa stammered. Brian smiled as he watched her button her shirt with deft fingers.
"How about "okay" or something like that?"
"Okay," she managed to say and not being able to hold think of anything else as her brain was still mush, her eyes shifted to the clock on the wall. It was close to 8:20 and she thought that they had better clean up and put their shirts back on. She voiced this to Brian and he gave a loud groan of disappointment, causing her to giggle softly. Within fifteen minutes they had fully dressed, straightened out her skirt and found her shoes under the bed. She took the locking charm off the door, but no one was on the other side, waiting to get in making her a little less tense about someone finding out what they had just fooled around in Brian's hospital room.
She was sitting on the side of her bed, legs dangling over when she felt Brian climb up behind her, after using the
bathroom, then lift her hair and plant a warm kiss on the nape of her neck.
"I forgot to tell you something," he said softly in her ear and Marissa smiled and turned towards him.
"What is that?"
"I meant to say it awhile ago…but I kinda got distracted…but you look brilliant with or without your shirt on." He moved a hand through her hair, combing it with his fingers.
"Yeah?" she turned around a bit more and he flung a leg over her lap, trapping her. She wound an arm around his shoulder, letting her fingers trace tiny circles.
"Well, I was going to tell you, but you kinda distracted me," Marissa mimicked and heard him muffle a laugh, "that you have the best shoulders of any male at Hogwarts."
"Yeah?" he raised his eyebrows and was quiet for a minute, then he kissed her, long and deep until she was gripping his shoulders with both hands.
"Well, they're all yours."
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Marissa lived in a fog the next few days, as the first week of May brought flowers and a general feeling of all around happiness.
Brian said he loved her in response to her declaration and that floored her more than anything. Even the thought of a new brother or sister was put on the back burner until Wednesday when Brian started classes again. He recovered for two days at home and she hadn't seen him at all, with her exam on Monday afternoon in Herbology (which she thought she passed), Quidditch on Tuesday she truly didn't have any time except to owl him a letter. She was even nice to Arnold; Janet said she was being nice to everyone and Marissa just shrugged. She couldn't help it…her mind and heart were a million miles away from earth and when she read the latest owl letter from Brian, his second one in two days, she thought she might just melt right there in her bed.
Unfolding the letter while laying on her bed Tuesday evening, after a particularly long and hard Quidditch practice, she rested her sore muscles in time to Brian's second letter.
"Marissa,
I am finding myself to be very bored here at home. It's quiet, my mother stayed home but, still…I'd rather be around my friends and most of all you. I think that this might be the second letter I have ever written…wait, make that third. During Quidditch Camp in between first and second year I had to write one home…mum made me. So, now you have earned the honor of having received the most number of letters from me…feel special? Ha ha. Anyway, I'm ready to come back and spent most of the day catching up on work and I even took a nap, so you can stop telling me to get enough sleep!
It's amazing to me, though, how much I miss you when it's only been two days since I have seen you and only about five hours since I received your last letter. I don't think I could find the words to say how much so you'll just have to believe me.
And yes, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you so tell Arnold to BACK OFF…better yet have Janet tell him!
Congratulations on believing you passed your Herbology exam…I haven't even taken it yet. You might become a sixth year before me if you think about it…if you pass all your 5th year exams before we're done school, you might just be ahead of me year wise just for a few days! It'll be entertaining to be in the same year with you, I believe next year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor have Potions, Charms, Astronomy and Herbology together. Dad said maybe DADA but he wasn't sure; it depends on how many 5th years pass his OWL exam (which makes me think it'll be a hard one!)
Well, the owl is waiting patiently so I must close. I should be there tomorrow morning; flooing in along with my father before classes start…maybe before you are even up!
See you tomorrow!
I love you (that was really strange to write…but I mean it)
Love,
Brian"
Folding up the letter she put it in the middle of her journal then shoved it back into her school bag, a smile on her face as his words echoed around in her head.
She never would've thought that she, a Malfoy, could've totally fallen so hard for someone and act like just about every other girl out there who said they loved someone. Even Devon noticed something and for once, she told him everything. For a full fifteen minutes as they sat on the couch she told him how they talked and opened up to each other in a way she had never done. She told him they had kissed "and stuff" a few times. She didn't elaborate on the "stuff" and Devon didn't ask, he just stared at her as if mesmerized that this was his sister…maybe even thinking she was imperioused! She had assured him she wasn't and after awhile he said he had to go study, stood up and gave her a quick hug, shook his head in amazement and headed up to his room.
Now, laying in bed after her shower and hearing her roommates get ready for bed she thought of seeing Brian tomorrow and wondered when she'd get a chance to talk to him. Would she go running into his arms? Would she greet him casually? Would they run off to the Room of Requirement? Would she even get to see him since Wednesday's were her busiest day of the week? She tossed and turned, hearing everyone settle down for the night and thought maybe if she got up early enough she could meet him for breakfast in the Great Hall.
With that thought comfortably resting in her thoughts, she closed her eyes and felt sleep creep up on her, Brian's
face the last image behind her eyes as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.
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