Camilla opened her eyes slowly, willing them to focus. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to sit up and was rewarded by a sharp pain that shot from the base of her spine to the back of her neck. Gasping, she lay back down and let her gaze travel about the room.

She was lying in a luxurious oak bed, propped up by several pillows. The room was warm and bright; sunlight spilled in from a large picture window. Next to the bed, on a nightstand, were several vials filled with different colored potions. One was nearly empty.

Where am I? Camilla wondered, fighting through the pain to sit up. She pulled the covers off and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Wondering how long her wobbly legs would support her, she rose to a standing position. Gingerly, she shuffled to the window and pulled back the curtains.

Frowning, she looked out at a dense forest blanketed in blindingly white snow. Puzzled, she closed the curtains and sat back down on the bed. She tried to remember what could have brought here, but her mind was fuzzy. She glanced at the potions bottles and came to the conclusion that one of the potions was responsible for her present state.

But where were her captors? She strained her ears, but could not pick up any sound from within the house. She stood again and began looking through an old dresser to find something to put on. For some reason, she had been divested of her clothing and was clad in only a slip.

She pulled out a crisp, white button-down shirt and held it up. It was definitely too big, but it would have to do, she decided. She ran her hand over the material and, not knowing why, held it to her nose and inhaled.

“Severus?” she whispered, recognizing his scent.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

Camilla gasped and dropped the shirt. Turning, her eyes fell on an indignant-looking Severus, standing in the doorway of the room.

“Severus,” she mumbled as her legs finally gave way, sending her toppling to the ground.

Severus flew to her side and scooped her up in his arms. “Damn you, Camilla, what are you trying to do?” he barked, depositing her on the bed.

She gazed up at him, awestruck. “What are you doing here? Is this a dream?”

Severus shook his head, the corners of his mouth twitching, as if he were holding back a smile. “No, I’m afraid not. But it will become a nightmare if you ever get out of bed again without my permission,” he said sternly.

Camilla stared up at him as he ran his wand over her body, murmuring something under his breath. “Severus, stop,” she said, grabbing his wrist.

He sat down next to her and gave her a scrutinizing look. “Are you in pain?”

Camilla shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“You should take this,” he said, picking up a vial containing a pale blue potion. “It will help with the pain.”

Camilla shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears.

Severus’ face softened. He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. “I’m here. And no one will hurt you ever again.”

“Hurt me…?” Camilla bit her lip. Her memory was slowly beginning to return. She vaguely recalled a damp, dark dungeon…Bellatrix was there, demanding to see Severus…

Camilla’s eyes clamped shut. She remembered blinding pain, over and over again. Severus was there; he was trying to save her. He overpowered Bellatrix, then—

“What did you do?” Camilla demanded, her voice shaking.

Severus gazed at her with concern in his black eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Camilla withdrew her hand from his. “The last thing I remember was a blinding red light. The only person who had a wand was you, Severus.”

He averted his eyes and cleared his throat. “You really should take this for the pain,” he said, removing the cork from the vial.

“What did you do?” she repeated. “You Stunned me, didn’t you?”

Severus paused and replaced the cork in the vial. Swallowing, he placed it back on the table. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said resolutely, avoiding her eyes.

“Why the hell did you do that?” she shouted. “What did you do to Bellatrix?”

Severus lifted up his eyes to meet hers. “I did what I had to,” he said darkly. “She will never hurt you again.”

Camilla covered her mouth with her hand. “Did you kill her?”

He looked away, his jaw clenching slightly. “The less you know, the better. I took care of it. I did what was necessary to protect you.”

Camilla folded her arms. “Is that why you Stunned me? So you could play your sick game of revenge in peace?”

Severus turned back to face her. “You didn’t need to see. I had to take care of Bellatrix in my own way.”

She threw back the covers and rose to her feet. “Is this even about me, Severus? Or have you just become enthralled with the idea of murder? First Dumbledore, now Bellatrix?”

Severus stood slowly and stared at her, his eyes narrowed into slits. “Of course that was my intention. I am a Death Eater, after all. Isn’t that correct, dear wife?” he spat.

Camilla fidgeted with the lace along the bottom of her slip as tears began to sting her eyes.

“Someone like me will never change, right? So forgive me for saving your life. Perhaps I should not have bothered.” He turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

---

Severus was still angry with her.

At least, that was what he tried to convince himself of when she finally came downstairs. He had been sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee and cursing the day he ever met that impossible witch when she padded downstairs. Her hair was damp and hung in wavy tendrils around her face; his jaw dropped as he took in the sight of her clad in nothing but his white, collared shirt, making her legs look impossibly long.

Damn her, he thought, as she turned to catch him staring at her. He quickly focused his gaze on his coffee mug, attempting to look uninterested.

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus caught a glimpse of her pulling on the doorknob to no avail. He smirked. She would never be able to get out unless he let her go.

“Where is my wand?” she hissed, stomping over to the table.

Severus’ lip curled. “And where do plan on going dressed like that?”

Camilla folded her arms over her chest. “Anywhere is better than here.”

“I’m afraid I cannot let you go until I am certain you are well.”

Camilla’s eyes flashed. “You can’t hold me prisoner here.”

Severus smiled. “Can’t I?”

“You are impossible!” she shrieked. “I want my wand. Now.”

“Of course,” he said nonchalantly. “Your wand is in my trouser pocket. You may retrieve it whenever you wish.”

Camilla’s face immediately turned a bright crimson. “You’re a sick man, Severus Snape,” she muttered, approaching him slowly.

She stood over him for a moment, her lips pursed and her breathing ragged. Taking a deep breath, she slipped her hand under his robes. He stifled a moan as her hand grazed his thigh on the way to his pocket.

Unable to take it anymore, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down onto his lap. She stared at him, her eyes registering surprise and confusion. He gazed at her for a moment, taking in the beautiful features he had missed so much. With a long finger, he traced her nose, her cheeks, and brushed his thumb across her full lips.

Reaching behind her head, he cradled her neck in his hands and pulled her lips down to his. She kissed him gently, tentatively at first, then wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his.

“Gods, I missed you,” he panted, pulling away and cupping her face in his hands.

“I missed you, too,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on his. “But I thought you never wanted to see me again.”

“No,” he murmured. “I thought of nothing, of no one else but you the entire time we were apart.”

“I never heard from you,” she said softly, her eyes shining with tears. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. You were so hurtful the last time I saw you. And I was sure you blamed me for blowing your cover. It was all my fault.”

“I was a fool,” he responded quietly. “The thought of you with someone else nearly drove me out of my mind. And I did blame you for exposing me. I wanted to hate you. It would have made things far easier.”

“But you don’t?” Camilla asked tentatively, taking his hands in hers.

He merely shook his head and brushed his lips against hers. Excruciatingly slow, he kissed her, his tongue lightly teasing hers. She groaned in frustration and kissed him hungrily, her hands tangling in his hair to draw him closer.

He broke away, unbuttoning the first two buttons of her shirt and planting warm kisses on her neck and collarbone.

“Severus, please,” she whimpered.

He needed no further convincing. Capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss, he stood, lifting her with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him with abandon. He backed her against the wall of the sitting room and ran his hand up the smooth skin of her thigh, coming to rest on her bottom.

Pulling away, he smirked up at her.

“What?” she asked breathlessly, blowing the hair out of her eyes.

“Are you wearing my pants, too?”

Camilla blushed and nodded. “I couldn’t find anything else to put on.”

Severus grinned wickedly. “You could have gone without. I don’t think I would have minded.”

“Well,” she breathed in his ear, “I will remember that next time.”

He pulled her away from the wall and made his way toward the stairs. He had intended to carry her up to his bed, but soon decided he could wait no longer. He pulled her shirt over her head and hurriedly pulled off his own robes. Kissing her tenderly, he laid her down on the stairs, covering her body with his. He drew her arms up over her head and, lacing his fingers with hers, he pulled back to look at her.

It was intoxicating being so near to her. He had missed her scent, how cool and soft her skin was, the very taste of her, but at that moment, he couldn’t tear himself away from her eyes.

“What?” she asked, gazing at him inquisitively.

He paused for a moment and then whispered, “You’re mine, Camilla.”

She let go of his hands and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “Always,” she said determinedly, staring deep into his eyes. “I will always be yours.”

---

A/N: Finally! It was so fun to write their reunion. They have been through so much and it's nice to see them happy. For now...

Thanks for reading and you know what to do next... (review!)