Lucy was ecstatic the whole next day. She got up early, cleaned the house like a madwoman, and ate a few quick meals. She was too excited to eat much. She thought that would make her head feel better; she was feeling a little woozy. So far it hadn't helped though.
Around noon the doorbell rang. She rushed to get it, wondering who it could be. Jo was at work so it couldn't be her. She was just about to go check on her friend though. She frowned as she opened the door. Adam Winston was standing there, his hair styled in the usual short cut, his blue eyes staring into hers.
"Adam, I wasn't expecting you," Lucy said. There was a little awkwardness in her voice because everytime she saw him, all she could think about was being sick.
"You've been avoiding me, Lucy," he said calmly with a grin on his face. He opened his jacket and took out a small box, setting it in the palm of his hand. "I know you're out of the other, so I brought you some more tonic. Has it been helping?"
Lucy grabbed him by the blazer of the very expensive suit he was wearing and yanked him inside. She closed the door hurriedly behind him. "Are you crazy? Don't say anything about my illness out in the open like that! No one knows."
Adam raised his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Have you had any more black outs lately?"
"No. I've been fine."
"Good." He took out his wand and pointed it to the box in his hand. "Engorgio!" The box grew to three times the size it had been. "At least I was trying to be discreet, Lucy. I'm really glad you're doing well. I figured that tonic would help you, but this one is stronger. You need to take it every other day."
"Every other day?" she repeated in disbelief. It was followed by a low groan.
Adam smiled sadly. "I know you don't want to, sweetheart, but it's for your own good. Mortikill Syndrome is a very bad and rare disease and you don't want it to progress any faster than normal. Trust me." A sadness settled over him. "I lost my sister to it a couple of years ago."
Lucy gasped. "You never told me that."
"Everyone thought she just blacked out and didn't wake up, but it was the disease that killed her. No one but my parents knew."
"Where are your parents now?"
"Dead. Voldemort killed them way before Trina died."
"I'm sorry."
"Thank you." Adam sighed. "Well, sit down there on the couch. I brought my stethoscope so I could check your vitals while I was here. Chad told me that Jo was living with him now. I guess that attack shook the both of them up pretty bad."
Lucy nodded. "It did shake them up and me too." She picked the box up off the coffee table where Adam left it. "I'm going to take these and put them in my room and I'll be right back. Then I promise I'll be a good patient."
She was gone only a few seconds. She walked back into the room and sat down on the couch beside of her doctor. He checked her heartbeat and her blood pressure. Everything seemed okay. He got up.
"Well, I'm supposed to have an appointment in a few. Everything seems to be going well for you right now. I'm surprised. Usually Mortikill goes faster than this. No nosebleeds or anything yet?"
"Nope," Lucy answered. "Not yet."
He smiled brightly. "That's great. Maybe I was wrong about you, Lucy. Maybe you will live longer than I expected. I hope so." He walked over to the door. She thought he was going to leave, but he paused. Suddenly he turned around to face her, his eyebrows knitted together. "I really think you should consider telling Jo about your condition, Lucy. You don't really want to be alone at a time like this."
"I'm not," she assured him. "I have a pen pal I write to every three days. He knows almost everything about me and vice versa. I know him personally as well. Trust me, Adam. I'm not alone. Thank you for you concern though."
"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "Take care."
"I will. Bye, Adam. And thank you."
He waved. "No problem. I'll be back when you need more."
With that exchange over with, Lucy shut the door behind him. She leaned up against it and took a few deep breaths. She didn't tell him that she had started to feel dizzy when she got up that morning. All day she had been running around the house, keeping busy, and trying to ignore the fact that she felt so weak and drained. She hadn't really noticed that she had taken the last tonic. She was glad Adam was keeping up with it. She never had called him Dr. Winston, but she'd heard a lot of great things about him. She first consulted him at the party where Jo had met Chad and he had been more than happy to help her. He was a very sweet guy, handsome and tall. It was no wonder all the nurses seemed to adore him, something she'd noticed on her various visits to the hospital. She stood up straight. She didn't have time to be weak or feel bad. Not today of all days. She was going to be spending the night with Severus. There was no room for her disease today.
That being the only thought in her mind at the moment, she ran back to the bedroom. She was going to go ahead and take the tonic now, then lay down on the couch and take a nap. Maybe by tonight, she would feel ten times better.
~ * ~
Severus had been nervous all day long. Although he was an expert at masking his emotions, this one he had not been able to hide very well. He felt weak at the knees. His leg had healed considerably over the past week and he was feeling pretty good about it. He was able to walk now without much of a limp, which was excellent. He hadn't even thought about it when he'd asked Lucy to join him at the ball and now he didn't have to worry.
He checked his dress robes in the mirror for about the hundredth time, adjusting the bow tie again and again. It was going to be crooked if he didn't leave it alone. He adjusted it one more time for good measure and then put his hands down at his sides to prevent himself from touching it again. Severus took a deep breath. If he didn't stop obsessing over every little detail he was going to drive himself crazy. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Things would have been a lot simpler had he just shut off his emotions and pushed her away. After Lucy had heard his story, he should have told her their correspondence had to stop. He could have made up some lame excuse and brushed her off. But no. He had to let his heart have its say and now he had complicated things by falling in love with her, and he was almost certain she didn't feel the same. Another catastrophic heartbreak waiting to happen.
A soft knock at his office door pulled him from his thoughts. He gathered himself and hurried to see who it was. When he pulled the door open, he stared in awe at the goregous creature in front of him. He could barely utter her name he was so flabbergasted.
"Lucy."
She smiled brightly at him. "Hello, Severus," she said blushing slightly, which made her face glow even more radiantly. "I didn't want to just barge through your wall." She chuckled lightly. "So, I thought I would knock this time."
He stared blankly at her. He didn't know what to say as he eyes trailed from head to toe. He couldn't help it. Her dress was a beautiful ocean blue with diamonds embedded in an intricate design of an 'x' across her chest. Her hair was partially up; the rest cascaded down to the side in auburn ringlet curls. When he finally found his way back up to her round, green eyes, he smiled.
"You look...ravishing, Lucy."
"Thank you," she told him bashfully. She hadn't expected such a compliment. "You look really handsome, Severus."
She couldn't believe her eyes when he first opened the door. She wasn't sure if he had noticed or not, but her mouth dropped open in shock. His long black hair was perfect, not one out of place, for the first time since she'd met him. He was wearing dress robes, black with white trim, and a black bowtie. His dark eyes were actually twinkling in the florescent lights. He took her breath away.
"Thank you for saying that."
"I meant it."
"Well, shall we go now? It's a little early, but-"
"That doesn't matter. I just want to be with you. We can go or we can stay here for a little while."
Severus held his arm out to the side parallel to his chest. Lucy didn't hesitate to latch on to it. He pulled her close and headed out, closing his office door behind him. Lucy felt like she was in the middle of a fairytale; she was a princess and Severus was her prince. She smiled to herself as he led her up to the stairs and out of the Dungeons.
"Where is the ball?" Lucy questioned.
"In the Great Hall, but you won't recognize it. I saw the decorations earlier. They were amazing," Severus answered.
Their arms locked tighter as they headed toward the door. Lucy could see just enough of the inside to become extremely excited. She felt like a high school girl going to the prom. The decorations were magnificent just as he said they would be. There was glitter everywhere. And in the middle of the room was a large fountain with real running water.
"The colors are silver and sapphire," he told her. "That was my idea."
She grinned. "It's perfect. I love it already."
Everyone was dancing to the music when they got inside. Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall were dancing together and Madame Hooch and Mr. Filch. Most of the staff was just standing around talking with drinks in their hands and a small tray of food.
"Do you want to go get some refreshments, Lucy?" Severus asked her.
"Later," she said. "I just want you to dance with me first."
"I might be horrible at it."
"Impossible."
He led her out to the middle of the floor and slipped his arms around her waist. She flinched a little at his touch at first, but immediately relaxed. It was Severus in front of her. There was nothing to be afraid of. She placed her hands on his shoulders and they began to sway back and forth. They seemed miles apart at first, but then Lucy pulled herself in a little closer.
"See," she whispered. "You're doing fine so far."
Severus smiled. "The night is young."
Lucy let out a girlish giggle. The way his arms felt around her waist was indescribable. Just being this close to him made her feel incredibly safe, like nothing was wrong. But the truth was that she was spiraling.
The tonic she had taken earlier hadn't helped her at all and her dizziness had gotten worse. It was so hard just for her to stand upright. And Severus was blissfully ignorant to all of it. She didn't want him to know. The truth would only drive them apart and she knew it. But being here with him had brought a new truth to light. She liked being near him, smelling that musky cologne he always wore, and him having his arms around her. It just felt....right. Her heart skipped a beat and she finally realized what she had been trying to fight against doing: she had fallen in love with him. Tears came to her eyes. That was the worst possible thing that could have happened, but it was too late now. Her heart belonged to him.
Lucy looked up at him. His eyes were already there ready to get lost in hers. She broke the connection, afraid she would cry if she didn't.
"Lucy, is something wrong?" Severus asked her, concerned. When their eyes locked a second ago he was sure he saw tears lingering there in front of him.
"I'm fine, Severus," she lied. "I just- Tonight is just so beautiful." She finally looked him in the eye. "I'm so glad you invited me. I'll never forget it."
He smiled. "Nor will I. I'm glad this is a staff event. I can be more myself around them and I always have been around you."
Lucy lifted her hand to his face and rubbed her fingers down his jawline. He was so handsome and he had the potential to give the kind of love that lasted forever. That was one thing that had attracted her to him in the first place.
Severus stiffened a little at her touch. He wasn't sure what her intentions were. She gave him a sultry smile and it melted him inside. Could he have been wrong about her? Could Lucy possibly love him too? There was only one way to find out.
"Lucy, you seem...different tonight," he said.
"I am," she responded. "I feel different."
He cocked his head to the side, not sure what she meant by that. "Are you feeling okay?'
Lucy smiled. "Yes." It was a lie, but if she told him the truth it would only worry him. "I just realized something that made me incredibly happy."
"And quiet," he added. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes."
"And just what made you so happy?" he asked with a smirk on his face.
"That I'm here with you."
Severus swallowed nervously. His whole body felt like it was on fire when he was near her. He had never felt that way with Lily. Of course, he had never been near her. Not like this. "I'm glad you're here, Lucy."
Lucy gazed at him lovingly. She wanted to kiss him desperately, but she knew it would be in his best interest if she didn't. She couldn't be there for him or love him for the rest of his life like he deserved. Sure, it would be bliss while she lived for the both of them, but what would happen to Severus when she was gone? She didn't want him to become the broken man she had met at the bar that night.
"I told you that you could dance," she teased him.
He smiled. "You did."
Suddenly the song that was playing stopped, but they didn't stop moving. It seemed every eye in the room was on them, but they didn't notice. All they noticed was each other. Across the room Dumbledore and Minerva stood watching them intensely, wondering what was going to happen next. They had long given up dancing; their feet were tired.
"Albus, I think something is going on over there," she said seriously. "I've never seen Severus act that way. He's so-"
"Happy?" Albus finished.
"Yes."
He smiled. "It's about time. Ms. Dawson seems content as well."
Minerva frowned. "She does, doesn't she?"
Another slow song came on. Lucy felt like she was about to fall over, but there was no way she wanted to leave right now. Instead, she decided to lay her head on Severus's shoulder. He held his breath when she did. He hadn't been expecting it. He wrapped his arms around her and that is the way they stayed for the longest time. Severus loved the feel of her in his arms. She was so delicate and soft. And Lucy felt safe and sound in his embrace.
They looked up at each other at the same time and their eyes locked. They were both thinking the same thing, but neither of them would act on it, both afraid of what the other would think. Then suddenly something changed.
Severus let out a long sigh and he went for it. He leaned in slowly and she met him half way. She couldn't fight it any longer either. When his lips met Lucy's, fireworks exploded inside the both of them. It was the kind of kiss that would take your breath away, and that's exactly what it did. The minute they pulled apart they were trying to catch their breath..
"That was incredible," Lucy whispered.
Severus smiled, blushing slightly. "I've been wanting to do that all night."
She grinned at him, even though she knew they had just made a big mistake. "Me too," she admitted weakly. Her dizziness had gotten even worse. It must have been the adrenaline from the kiss. She took a step back. "I need to take a small break."
"I believe I do too."
Lucy frowned. She squinted her eyes and buried her face in her hands. Something wasn't right.
Severus took a hold of her shoulders. "Lucy, you're not okay. I think you need to sit down."
She opened her mouth to argue, but no sound came out. Her eyes rolled back in her head as blackness engulfed her. She swayed and fell. Severus caught her and her head lulled to the side onto his arm. She was out. Severus pulled her close to him and slowly lowered himself and her to the floor.
"Lucy!" he shouted, gently shaking her. "Lucy!"
But it was no use. She wasn't responding.
Dumbledore and Minerva saw it as soon as it happened, having been watching them from a distance. They both rushed over to Severus.
"Severus, what happened?" Minerva asked.
He gulped. He was panicking. "She has black outs. We must have danced too much."
"Do you think you can carry her?" Dumbledore asked.
Severus got to his feet. It didn't matter what he thought. He reached down and scooped Lucy up into his arms.
"That is a yes," Dumbledore said. "Take her to Madame Pomfrey. She'll know how to help her."
Severus nodded. He was trying hard not to worry as he whisked Lucy off to the hospital wing.