It was foggy that morning. Tracey normally loved being outside in the fog, but today she just wasn't feeling up to going out in the garden and letting herself be sucked up into the mist. She sat at the library window looking out with a frown on her face. She felt irksome and hadn't a clue why. Well, it was probably to do with her worry for Greg and the fact that Theodore was with his mother. They were probably talking about her and she hadn't any clue what he would be telling her about her. Was he going with the, "I'm staying with a school friend" thing or was he being far more specific than that? What was she other than an old school friend? They hadn't really talked about it, and the big giant 'girlfriend' word and all that came with it was what frightened men the most, right?

Theo walked back toward Whittom Park. His mum had to run off early to get to work. She had been so excited. "I love my new job at St. Mungo's! I'm just a receptionist, but it's always so busy. Theo, love, I never knew how good it could feel to be busy all the time?" Theo had remain silent. He felt like a selfish prat that he wanted to say "Mum, move back in with Aunt Jeanie. She loved having you there." But he had bitten his tongue, amazed and happy for the joy on her face. His father had died seven years ago, the Ministry took their money and property, making his mum move in with her sister. She had stayed there for seven years -- happy spinster sisters. But Jeanie had gotten married three months ago, and his mum knew it was time to leave her little sister be. She had found a small flat in London, searched for full-time work, and moved on.

Theo still wasn't used to having his mum busy all the time. He felt like he had to make an appointment with his own mother to spend time with her. But the look of pure joy on her face was something he rarely saw, and he didn't have the heart to say what was on his mind. As if sensing how awkward he felt, she changed the topic. "You moved in with Tracey Davis? At Whittom Park?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. She was kind enough to take me in when my complex was being torn down."

His mum smiled brilliantly. "So, this Miss -- or Mrs? -- Davis... who is she?"

Theo wasn't sure how to answer the question. What is Tracey to me? No, more importantly, what am I to Tracey? "She was in Slytherin with me at Hogwarts. We are... seeing each other now."

If it was possible, her face brightened more. "You have a girlfriend?"

Theo shifted in his seat and looked uncomfortable. "Yes, I would call her that."

"Marriage potential?"

"You still want grandchildren, do you, Mum?" he asked, shaking his head and trying to keep things light-hearted.

"You still didn't answer my question."

Theo smiled and ducked his head as he conveniently changed the subject. He shifted the conversation to her job and when she had to leave, he found himself walking toward Whittom Park, walking home.

Tracey heard the big doors shut behind him as the house-elves were sent into a flurry. She distinctly heard several of them whisper giddily to one another, "The master is home, the master is home." She rolled her eyes and wondered how long it would take him to find her now that he was 'home'.

"Where's Miss Davis?" he asked a random house-elf running past him.

"Library," the squeaky voice answered.

"Thank you." He walked straight to the library. Without knocking, he walked inside and closed the door behind him. "Hello, Tracey. I'm back." I'm stating the obvious now. Great, he thought sarcastically.

She smiled at him and when he looked back her underneath is fringe her heart lept. Funny how having him look at her that way made all the negative thoughts that had been flooding her head since he'd left hide far in the back of her mind. He walked toward her on the window seat and put his arm on her shoulder. He began to massage and she closed her eyes and leaned her head forward. "How was your mum?" she asked, her voice muffled because her hair had fallen into her face.

"She's good. She loves her new job at St. Mungo's. She's a receptionist." He sighed. "That's why our meeting was so short. I suppose I'll try to catch her for a longer visit after work sometime. How are you? Besides tense," he added as he continued to massage her shoulders.

She sighed, it really did feel good. "I'm good. Received an owl I'm not thrilled about this afternoon, but I'll live. Are you hungry then?" she asked dismissively. He didn't answer so Tracey reached up for his hand and stopped his ministrations. "And you're sure there was nothing that upset you while you were with your mum? She wasn't upset that you moved in here, was she?" She turned and her big green eyes sought his out, insisting on an honest answer.

Theo smiled softly, thinking back. "Actually, I think she was thrilled. I hope you don't mind that sort of agreed with her when she asked if you were my girlfriend." He stopped, searching her eyes. Her protective mask had already fallen, showing happiness and perhaps relief in her eyes.

"You did? You told her that?" She was grinning and she leaned in to him and gave him a quick kiss. "Of course I don't mind. I'm flattered if not a bit giddy. You're sure she didn't mind? I'd hate for her to think you've been living with a hag or something - someone who forced you out of your poor flat and made you come live in my house of evil and iniquity."

He laughed. "I'm sure. I think she's glad. She hated my place." Gently, he pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a kiss. It wasn't just a kiss. It was intense and passionate, making his head swim. She was the only woman who had ever made him fall this quickly, this hard. He pulled away before the kiss got out of control. "You were saying something about food?" He paused. "I'm not hungry. In fact, I think I need a shower before I do anything else today."

"You do?" she asked cheekily. "Don't let me stop you then. Wouldn't want you to kill the dinner guests with your smell... oh wait, there are no dinner guests. I wonder what I should do while you're getting clean in the shower." She had no idea what had gotten into her, but she was fairly sure that irked feeling over not knowing how she stood with him had long been replaced with giddy contentment.

"Yes, my smell. It must be horrible. How can you stand this close to me? I'm sure you want to vomit," he teased, leaning down and brushing his lips over hers before dropping his arms. He sighed. "I suppose I should use the shower in the Blue Room."

They were walking toward the staircase when she stopped abruptly and looked at him with wide eyes. "Why? You haven't slept in that room since the first night you were here. Why would you need to go to that bathroom?" She was honestly confused. He'd been with her in her room, showered in her bathroom every morning, at least she thought he had - she'd been asleep when he'd woken for work. "Haven't you been showering in our- in the loo off the white room all week?" By the way he'd ducked his head and looked at her sheepishly she knew his answer. "You haven't really been going that far just to shower. Really?"

"I have. I didn't want to intrude on your space, Tracey. It's bad enough I stay in your bed." It was a silly thing to stay, she had never complained. In fact, she seemed happy to curl up next to him and soak in his warmth. He had happily let her, loving her soft body against his. "But if you'd rather me use the other loo now, I won't argue."

She wasn't sure if he'd ever seen her temper, but if it had been light enough in the landing she was sure he would have seen her eyes spark. "It's bad enough?" Was it really a bad thing to him? "No, you know what, Theo. You'd probably be better to shower in your own room tonight. I'm going to just go." She left him there staring after her. As soon as she'd walked up the steps she regretted it. She normally wasn't so sensitive, but it had been a crazy week to her and he had hurt her.

It look him only a moment to catch up with her, grabbing her arm and stopping her, pulling her around to face him. "Tracey. What the hell did I do? If I didn't want to sleep in bed with you each night, I wouldn't have." He pulled her rigid body up against him. "Tracey, please, believe me. I was just trying to respect you. I certainly didn't mean anything by what I said." He paused. "In fact, if you'll allow me I'd love to bring my clothes into our room. Unless that is going to far."

Tracey was still wary. She hated herself for being upset, but it had touched a nerve. The old thoughts that told her she wasn't worth his attention in school and she certainly wasn't worth his attention now kept ringing in her ears. She didn't like feeling this way and she felt even worse when she'd realised how bitchy her little outburst had sounded. She'd been a girlfriend for half an hour and she was already all pants at it. Looking down at the ground she apologized quietly. "I'm sorry, Theo. I can't even stand to be with myself this evening, I can't imagine how you must feel. Feel free to move your things into the bedroom, or you could make the house-elves' night and let them do it for you. I'm going to take a walk, all right?"

Theo reached down and tilted her chin upward so he could look into her eyes. "What the bloody hell are you apologizing for? I am the one who should be apologize." He paused. "If you want to go for a walk, by all means, go, but if you are just going because you think you have something to be sorry for or you think you did something wrong, don't." He grinned. "I'm going to shower--" He leaned down and kissed her softly. Pulling back he whispered low, "I think you need a shower, too, and seeing I'll be in the white room's lavatory..." Stopping he looked at her suggestively. The words had just fallen out of his mouth, a by-product of his affection for her rather than an actual conscious decision to say them.

She gave him a self-depreciating smile. "You know, Theo, I've never been this way before. I'm never happy one moment and then sullen the next. It's very new and I'm never sure if the next thing I say or do is going to make you run away. And I don't want you to run away-"

"I'd never run away, Tracey." He paused. "I'd hope you know that. But I guess I just have to try to convince you of that." He leaned down and kissed her slowly, gently.

She sighed into his mouth. She wished she could believe him, but men like him didn't stay with boring sensible women like her. They wanted excitement and wonder. Not to settle down with a boring old school chum they barely spoke five words to. She tried to keep her mind on thoughts like those, but they very quickly began to be drowned out by the drumming of her heart as she realised he was no longer kissing her softly, but that he was becoming more and more aggressive with her. She couldn't help but reciprocate and they ended up kissing hurriedly as they walked toward their bedroom. She broke away from kissing him only long enough to pull the jumper over her head and throw it on the bed.

He pulled away after one long kiss. Pulling off his shirt and then leaning down and sprinkled kissed over the top of her breast as his hands reached behind her and deftly undid the clasps on her bra. It fell away. He sucked in a breath; he flicked his tongue over her nipple then gently pulled it into his mouth, enjoying the feeling of it hardening. She gasped as his hands moved low to undo the button on her trousers as he continued sucking, kissing, and licking her breasts. Dropping onto his knees in front of her, he pulled her trousers down, then her knickers quickly followed.

Soon she was naked and he soaked in her beauty for a moment. His hands roamed behind her, touching her bum as his tongue dipped into her navel then travelled lower. He started to kiss her inner thigh when she tangled her hands into his hair and yanked his hair. It wasn't a gentle tug. He stood back up, capturing her mouth with his and sliding his tongue instead, tasting her. Her taste was like the peppermint she must have been sucking before he'd come home. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body close to his bare chest and feeling her soft breasts pressing against him.

She loved that he would stop in the middle of fondling and touching and just hold her tightly. She smiled into his chest and kissed him there before pulling back, "The shower, yeah?" She backed into the bathroom before him and turned to open the heavy glass door. Turning on the tap, she could feel his warmth behind her and tilted her head so her hair would fall off her back.

As she turned on the shower, he started to remove the rest of his clothes. While he enjoyed it more if she undressed him, he wanted her badly enough not to wait. She turned back toward him, as if waiting for something. She reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging him gently under the hot water. It felt good on his skin, but her mouth trailing down his neck and shoulders felt better. It made his skin inflamed; passion and desire coursed through his body unbridled. His hair was already soaked so he moved so she was under the water fully, getting soaked the bone, her hair curling slightly. It was beautiful. She was beautiful; wet, intense, and beautiful -- so much so he could barely stand it.

He pressed her gently up against the wall of the shower, licking between her breasts. She closed her eyes and pressed herself against the wall, arching into him and sighing softly with pleasure. He moved to her beasts, flickering his tongue over the wet pert nipple and taking it into his mouth again while fondling the other bud. She moaned loudly. He kissed the underside of her breast and trailed his mouth down, only stopping to kiss her tattoo.

He'd done that before and she'd tingled then, but this time she felt that she needed to tell him why she had that particular flower on her hip. He was running his tongue over the petals when she managed to speak, low and lusty. "That mark's yours you know?" He looked up into her eyes, not quite understanding. "The flower. I was thinking of you when I got it. It's what marked me as yours long before I found you again."

He looked up at her. His breath still on her tattoo. "From when we studied together in Transfiguration?" he asked, his voice low.

She nodded, never taking her eyes from his, but trying to express how important it was that he understand that she didn't want to do this with anyone else. That she'd subconsciously marked herself only for him. That she loved him. That she had loved him. She may not be brave enough to say it, but it was important to her that he understand. The water poured on them and the steam was filling the room, but it almost seemed like time was stopped for a moment. He slowly kissed the flower again, not taking his gaze from her. He could tell this was a big moment for her, even if he didn't quite understand the significance.

He moved lower and when he reached his intended destination, he glanced up at her. She was looking down at him expectantly, her hands fisted in his hair. He grinned at her, knowing full well what she wanted but choosing to tease her a bit. He began by sliding a finger into her wetness. He could tell it had nothing to do with the water pouring over them. His finger flitted against her most sensitive spot and she jumped. He followed his finger with his tongue and Tracey not only jumped again, but moaned loudly when he began suckling her and penetrating her with two of his fingers. She was still tight, but then again, she'd only practised this for a short time and only with him. Clearly they needed to practise more often.

Theo moved slowly, making slow circles on her bundle of nerves, drawing out her pleasure. When she moaned loudly, he knew he couldn't wait too long himself. He quickened his pace with his fingers as well as his tongue. He took out his fingers and reached up to grab her hips and pull her closer. It was a fruitless task: he was as close as he could get. Her fingers combed through his hair; he was amazed with her control. But the moment he felt awe, her hands began to pull, wrapping his hair around them. He smiled as he quickened his movement with his tongue and letting go of her hips to add his fingers to the mix again.

She moaned loudly, pressing toward him with her hips. He pulled back, continuing the fast circles with his finger. "Come for me, Tracey. Scream my name. Please," he added in a lusty plea before he continued his task, synchronizing his fingers' in-out movement with his tongue's circles. Suddenly she moved from his hair to his shoulder, trying to pull him up. "No, love, come first," he said.

She yelled out his name; her cry of ecstasy was like music to his ears. He felt her squeeze around his fingers as she climaxed. He stood up, plundering her mouth with his. He knew she tasted herself on him, and it oddly turned him on more if that were possible. His hands cupped her breasts, massaging them. His fingertips fluttered over her nipples, causing her to sigh and arch toward him.

He broke away from the kiss and began kissing her neck and shoulder. She tilted her head to give him better access and caught a glimpse of them in the bathroom mirror. It was odd seeing yourself being thoroughly shagged, but it certainly wasn't a 'bad' odd, it was good enough to make her blood rush and make her a little light-headed. She shifted herself so all her weight was on one leg and blithely wound the other up his leg and around his back. He seemed to sense her movement while still kissing her passionately, almost frantically, and grasped her thigh toward him. She could feel and she could see how hard he was and she whimpered when he pulled her other leg up, pressing her further against the shower wall. He entered her and it wasn't gentle, but it made her groan his name deeply so he didn't stop. He hadn't meant to be as rough as it was, but he just felt like it wasn't the time for softness, and she wanted to encourage this idea. Several heavy thrusts later, and Theo knew that he wouldn't last long if he continued that way. She was keening, her little noises spurring him on, but he made a conscious decision to slow down.

He stilled inside her, relishing in the feeling of her tight, warm, wet sheath surrounding him. It was an extremely erotic feeling to him. He moaned, leaning forward and kissing her neck. She tightened her leg around him, as if trying to get him to move. He liked slow love-making and slowing pulled out of her then thrust back in. His movement was slow, gentle, trying to prolong the blissful inevitability. He closed his eyes, trailing his mouth down her shoulder.

The water pounded against his back, his body covering Tracey's. The wait was becoming painful as well as pleasurable. She leaned down and bit his collar bone gently, licking it afterward. He groaned. His thrusts become more frantic, quickening. She arched her back toward him, crushing her breasts against his wet chest. Knowing he was close to his breaking point, he reached between their bodies and his finger slid inside her moisture.

She moaned, and he started to make quick circles with his finger around her clit. "Come again, love, please. For me," he added softly, his mouth still on her neck. She moaned again; he took it as an agreement. Pulling back, he kissed her, pushing her back against the wall harder with the power of his thrusts and the pressure of his mouth on hers, tasting her.

Suddenly, she pulled away, crying is name and dropping her head on his shoulder. He felt her tighten around him again and he couldn't take it anymore. With her pleasure still at its peak, he came inside her, closing his eyes and throwing his head back so that his face got hit with the warm water. "Tracey!" he screamed, feeling overwhelmed with pleasure. "Fuck, I love doing this to you. I love you so much," he found himself saying, caught up in the moment.

The words weren't planned, but they sure as hell were meant.

Tracey couldn't help her eyes from widening and her mouth dropping. Everything seemed to stop for her in that moment. "What did you just say?" she asked quietly, fog clouding her ears and her heart pounding in her throat.

Theo swallowed. Fuck! What the bloody hell did I just say? "I love you," he repeated.

"You can't say that, you prat!" She found her head shaking and her heart started pounding faster. He lowered her legs and she started breathing heavier as she wobbly stood on her own. "You just can't." Tears were coming now and she was very nearly frantic. She'd loved him so long that it just wasn't feasible that he would feel the same way. This was a game to him. He was playing with her. He couldn't love her. No, not her. Tracey began hitting his chest softly as she shook her head.

Theo pulled her hair to one side and kissed her neck to calm her down. Holding her close, he held her tightly and simply whispered, "But I do." He paused, letting her cry but hating it. Her tears tore at his heart. "Please, Tracey, don't cry. If you want, I'll take it back. We can pretend I never said it. Please don't cry. I can't stand to see a woman I lo-- care about cry." He stroked down her back.

That set into even more hysterics. That little voice in her head was screaming at her to stand up and walk away, to hide in the farthest corner of the Park where he couldn't find her and hurt her by saying it was a an elaborate hoax. But the calmer voice in her heart begged her to stay, to see her worth and to let him love her. "Please don't take it back," she managed through her tears. How irrational am I? He's thinking I'm a lunatic. But he's still here. Maybe he does love me, even if it's just a little bit. "And please keep holding me. Don't let go. Never let go, Theo."

Theo tightened his arms around her. "Tracey, love. Thank you. Thank you for not making me take it back. I do love you." He closed his eyes. When he closed them all he saw was her. He kissed the part where her shoulder met her neck. She smelled sweet and soft, feminine in every way, yet the scent of sex still hung to the wet air of the shower. Theo suddenly realized the water had gotten cold, practically freezing but he didn't move. "Take as long as you need," he whispered, "I'll always be here."



(Summary: Tracey and Theo have their first argument (sorta) and then make up in the shower. Important information is exchanged.) - NC17