An Afternoon Of Animals, Oh. Joy.

[Haddock Vibe]

As much as his mind knew that they'd been parted for far too long and that right now was the worst moment to do what they were doing, his body was far from thinking in that direction. No, his body was desperately in need of each touch of skin and each brush of lips. Every fluttering pass of fingertips and each barely heard moan was needed.

When she murmured his name outloud again, he was more than ready to take her right there at that very moment. To hell with the fact that they were in public. Even his new position as a Professor and all that came with that in terms of propriety, he was ready to give it up for just this one moment of complete and utter release.

He breathed in sharply when her hands finally found his own skin, her nails sending waves of goosebumps along his skin before she was claiming him with hot kisses. He had to remind himself to breathe as he turned to lean himself against the wall, his head tilting back as a groan left him.

"Oh gods...Rhys," he moaned. "Gods, I need you."

His own hands had taken their roaming to new heights as she had reached his belt, a palm cupping over one lace covered breast. He pulled her tight against him again, his free hand bringing her mouth up to his own for a prolonged kiss before he was pressing her once more up against the wall. He'd worked open the rest of the clasps keeping the top half of her thin robes shut, his mouth finding the other lace covered breast.

[Rhyssen Swanson]

If she had been thinking clearly, she would have admonished herself for losing control like this. If she'd realized what she was doing, she would have pulled away long before, striking the necessary distance between them so that a sense of propriety could be salvaged. However, she wasn't aware of anything really, her rationale having been silenced by physical demands that had lain dormant for far too long a time, and she could do nothing in that present state of deluded ecstasy - to stop herself.

It was when he groaned her name, his shortened version of it, at least, that she found her conscience surfacing to some degree. It was as if through the darkness a beacon could be made out in the far distance and it called to her through the foggy haze of sweet pleasure, even as she inwardly shyed away from the notion of putting this to an end. She wanted it too much, needed to be satisfied too greatly for her conscience alone to give her the needed incentive to make herself stop - no, it would take just a little something more.

When his mouth descended to slip over a lace-clad breast, Rhyssen barely held back the gasp that tore from her lips at the intense feel of it, her frame arching violently from the wall and further against his mouth. Her fingers gripped his hair and she was almost whimpering brokenly at the sensations of it when she heard footsteps approaching the alley from the opposite direction they'd arrived from.

"I swear, I heard something-"

"Ned, you're mad, who the fuck would be back here, c'mon-"

"I know what I heard Cornelius-"

Pushing him away from her with a sudden fervor to right her clothing and clear away any remnant of dispropriety from her being, Rhyssen smoothed back the tendrils of her hair that had fallen forward. Making a dramatic show of smiling at the two wizards that rounded the corner only to stop when they saw nothing out of the ordinary, she sighed with obvious relief when they nodded their caps and went on their way.

"Merlin," she whispered as she closed her eyes and sagged back against the wall, "What have we done..."

[Haddock Vibe]

The feel of her pressing to him, her fingers tangled in his hair and the sounds coming from her throat had him in a fog of complete lust. The same lust that had first been born between them five years back and had grown into a love that he never would have guessed at. Some would say that lust never could grow to love and that a love like theirs could never be sustained at the same high-pitched fervor that it had maintained for so long.

Anyone who claimed such had never been truly in love.

He pulled her closer to him, a hand slipping into those curls he'd never grown tired of. And then the voices broke into the fog. He tried to ignore it, sure that whomever it was would realize their mistake once they turned the corner. That Rhyssen would be utterly embarrassed by being caught in such a display was very much the last thing on his mind -

until she pulled away.

He inhaled a deep breath, smoothing a hand through his hair and not so much as glancing at the two men who passed on by once their curiosity was satisfied.

"Merlin," she whispered as she closed her eyes and sagged back against the wall, "What have we done..."

His eyes flew to hers, her words cutting deep into him. He reached out a hand to brush fingers along her cheek, pulling back before he could make contact. Without a word, he buttoned up his shirt, tucking the ends in before he could find words to speak.

"You should go. Back to your shopping," he said, quietly. "We should forget this ever happened."

His heart hurt when he spoke those words. Gods, he wanted desperately to beg her to come back to the school with him. Students weren't there, yet. He had his quarters. They could be alone.

He'd never truly be able to live with himself if he were the man she cheated with, though. That thought and that alone spurred him onward with what he was about to do.

Rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, he continued. "You're going to go back to your," he swallowed hard and forced the word from his mouth, "husband. I'm going to go back to Hogwarts. I won't see you ever again. You won't see me."

He forced himself to tear his gaze from her then, and turned, his heart sinking further than it ever had, to leave her. He paused then, his thumb brushing suddenly along the ring he still wore on his pinky before he slipped it off and looked at it.

He'd only given it back once. It was the day that they had both finally confessed their love for each other. Since then he'd worn it as a symbol of her love and his. In the moments that they'd been at odds he'd been able to look at the ring and know that they'd move on. They were forever. But this time, this time when he looked at it, he wasn't so sure anymore.

He knew that he had to give it back.

[Rhyssen Swanson]

"We should forget this ever happened."

And with that, he hurt her as deeply as she had, inadvertently, hurt him.

With her eyes lifting slowly at their own accord to search his face for any sign that what he was saying was untrue, that he was merely speaking without thought, Rhyssen felt her throat tighten when she saw nothing of the sort in his expression. She was aching, desperate for him, and he could bring himself to do nothing but cast her off? Had she meant nothing to him, been nothing to him all that time that he could so easily refuse her?

She hated the idea of him ever being capable of surpressing his desire for her.

"You're going to go back to your," he swallowed hard and forced the word from his mouth, "husband. I'm going to go back to Hogwarts. I won't see you ever again. You won't see me."

"No, Ethan-"

It was then, when he was slowly turning away from her, that her legs were willed to move. Trembling as she bit her bottom lip and closed the distance between them, her hand paused before sliding, ever so slightly, along his shoulder. The feel of him beneath his robes was enough to have her eyes swim with desire, and she made the conscious desire to let her inhibitions go right then and there. Her vows were one thing, the guilt of defying them would hit her later, but she could not stand, could not bear the idea of the man before her forsaking her so easily. She had sworn once that she would haunt him if he walked away, and she was, by every sign, establishing her intention of doing just that.

Dragging a breath as she bent her head, she pressed her lips to the side of his neck, her teeth grazing tantalizing against the skin. Her hands slid around his front, her palms pressing against his chest, and she molded her frame against his with the whisper, "It's been too long... Do you know how much I need.. to touch you?"

[Haddock Vibe]

Gods, it hurt to hear her say his name like that; to feel her hand brushing along his shoulder. He gripped the ring in a hard fist his entire being working towards one goal: focus. He had to stay focused. Never in all his life had anything been so important. What he wanted was to turn and take the witch in his arms and do unspeakable things to her. Make her moan his name in that way that had always sent shivers down his spine.

But how could he? How could he let himself be used in her sick game? For that was what it was. He came to that conclusion the moment she was pressing herself against him, her hands slipping along his chest; her words tearing into his soul - he surpresesed the shudder that wanted to work it's way along his skin as her lips pressed to his neck.

All at once he was pulling her hands from him and turning. He grabbed a wrist and pressed the ring into the palm of her hand, his eyes meeting hers as he fought for control. "Why are you doing this, Rhyssen?" His voice came out on a choked whisper. "I can't...we can't...fuck it, Rhyssen," his voice grew strong again, though he still didn't move away from her, "I didn't even mean enough to you for you to tell me about your wedding. I had to find out from Jori! Do you have any idea how..." He broke off his words. He turned from her.

"And now you want me to do what Rhys? Be your bloody fuck puppet?" A harsh laugh escaped him as he turned back to study her. "I'm not willing to do that Rhyssen. You, of all people, should know that I can't do that."

[Rhyssen Swanson]

Staring down at the ring he pressed into her hand as if it was a despicable symbol of everything that had gone wrong, Rhyssen attempted to wrench her hand free of his hold. She wanted to throw the ring as far as she could, if he wasn't going to wear it - what use did he think she had for it? A constant reminder of how little she could matter to him. Oh yes, she needed another one of those.

Her eyes blurred when he spoke of the wedding and her cowardice at not letting him know. Staring down at the ring pressed into the palm of her hand, her fingers clenched around it as she struggled to reply, her voice barely audible, "What was I supposed to tell you, Ethan? I couldn't have said anything to make it all right-"

"And now you want me to do what Rhys? Be your bloody fuck puppet?"

The anger rose in her with a sharp ferocity and her head whipped up, bright indignation gleaming in her eyes. Swallowing tightly as she held back the desire to slap him, and gods was her hand trembling from the force used to keep it down, she whispered harshly, "Is that what you think of me, Ethan? After everything, is that it?"

Gripping the ring in the palm of her hand, she took a step back from him as she visibly began to shake from the effort it was taking her in keeping her composure. Wrapping her arms around herself, her gaze heatedly locked on his own, and she breathed unsteadily, "I needed you.. and you turn that into-- I should have guessed, you never were capable of much more than vulgarity, were you?"

Turning, her vision blurred by the onset of sudden emotion, she swept towards the entrance to the alley. She had no desire to prolong the humiliation she was feeling, any further.

[Haddock Vibe]

For a moment it almost felt like they were still standing in Florence another heated argument starting up over nothing more significant than Ethan having seen a man wink at her. If the whole situation weren't just so incredibly heartbreaking, he may have just laughed.

"Is that what you think of me, Ethan? After everything, is that it?"

"What the hell am I supposed to think? You're not about to leave him for me, are you?" He paused then, his eyes boring into her own as the next words worked to drive the point home. "Not that I've asked."

He'd not let it show but it killed him to not move across the short distance between them and pull Rhyssen into his arms in the next instance. He'd been with her long enough that he knew just how much she was hurting the moment she wrapped her arms around herself, but he couldn't give in. He would lose everything he'd gained if he did: what he had gained, he could never have said.

"I needed you.. and you turn that into-- I should have guessed, you never were capable of much more than vulgarity, were you?"

He had spun her around, his hands gripping her upper arms tightly before she'd taken more than a step. "You needed me? Hell, then why did you leave? Why Rhyssen?" His grip tightened as he pulled her closer, his face inches from her own as his voice dropped. "What I was capable of when it came to you is something you never knew because you never let me show you."

[Rhyssen Swanson]

"You couldn't even bring yourself to make me stay," she whispered accusingly, her lashes wet from the emotion she was refusing to quite give into. No, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing just how much he was breaking her down. She couldn't let him see he had won in doing that.

"What I was capable of when it came to you is something you never knew because you never let me show you."

Laughing bitterly as she pushed away from him, Rhyssen shook her head, the back of her hand roughly brushing away the tears that stung her eyes, her voice strangely hollow, "Promises, gods, Ethan, what else did you ever give me? Empty promises of what could have been - what's the use for them now? All of it, everything- it's gone."

Swallowing tightly as she lifted her chin, she met his gaze and murmured the words that she knew would cut him, words she needed to cut him with.

"I blame you for that; I hate you for it."

[Haddock Vibe]

It was over and his heart - did he even have one anymore? His anger, his hurt, his desire to blame, it all fell from him in those words. His mouth opened and then closed a few times before he realized that he couldn't tell her. How could he? That he'd stood at the end of their street a thousand times after he'd left; that he'd paid for hundreds of flowers that he never took to her; that he had even stood at the door of their flat, his fist poised to knock, what did that all mean now?

In the end he'd been a coward.

"I blame you for that; I hate you for it."

What could he possibly say to that? No words could possibly make it alright. Nothing could change that he'd failed so miserably in regards to her. Had he really ever tried to be what she needed? He had thought so a year ago. He had sacrificed so much for her, so many of the things he'd dreamed of doing and now he realized that it had been a selfish sacrifice on his part.

"For wh-" He cut himself off, raking a hand through his hair before he stepped around her prepared to just leave. He had lesson plans to work on. He still had a cage to purchase. He paused after a step and turned, his eyes lifting to meet her gaze. "I've made mistakes, Rhyssen. I won't even pretend I haven't. I was a damn jealous bastard and I know you always hated that." His voice was too quiet. Too calm. "I was afraid, Rhyssen. Afraid that you'd find someone to replace me. Someone who...and you did. And barely a month after we parted? If you think you can wound me any deeper than that, you can try. It'll be nothing more than a waste of your breath."

[Rhyssen Swanson]

When he spoke of his mistakes, even acknowledged the jealousy that had always both driven her mad and excited her all the same, Rhyssen found it difficult to look at him. All of it, everything felt so wrong that second between them; as if they were never supposed to say good-bye to one another like this, end things with such heart-wrenching finality. It was as if, strangely enough, there had never been any parting of ways before, no heartbreak when they had seperated a year ago, it hurt so vividly and profoundly. She could do nothing though but stand back and wish she'd never left home that morning.

"I was afraid, Rhyssen. Afraid that you'd find someone to replace me. Someone who...and you did. And barely a month after we parted? If you think you can wound me any deeper than that, you can try. It'll be nothing more than a waste of your breath."

"I didn't marry Felix to hurt you," she spoke in a whisper of indignation, her gaze looking up to meet his with a flicker of anger that marred any sympathy she may have been feeling for him. "And if you think that, I don't have anything else to say to you. Hell, I don't know why I ever did."

Shaking her head angrily, she moved past him and stormed down the alley.

[Haddock Vibe]

This time he'd let her go. He never had before and that was the precise reason why he would this time, now that he had nothing to remind him of her anymore: now that she had the ring. He'd let her walk down the alley and out into the streets and he'd put a seal on that last memory of her before he would move on with his life. She was a dream that he'd clung to for too long. A dream whose time had finally come to an end.

Fitting, really. She'd been the reason he'd given up so many of his own dreams - gladly given them up - and so maybe it was time to let her take this last dream of his. Give him a new lease on life, so to speak.

She was only a meter from the end of the alley when he caught up with her, his hand not grabbing this time, only touching. In the end, he couldn't let her go. Not like this. It took him every ounce of strength he could possibly muster to speak in the next instant.

"Rhyssen, I know you didn't." He removed his hand. He didn't know what else to say. He just knew he didn't want her to leave. "I'm...you moved on. You had the right. I just...I always thought..." He left it unsaid. "I'm sorry. For this..."

[Rhyssen Swanson]

"You should be sorry," she said as she spun around to face him, her eyes flashing as they caught his own. There was little to be said of her when she felt insulted, even less than could be said of her hold on her reason, and the look of of utter rage that flickered in her eyes would have left a lesser man cowaring. Of course, Ethan had probably become accustomed to that look years ago, a thought that sadly, was lost on her.

"I used to wonder about you, Ethan, used to wish things turned out differently between us," she said in a quiet tone, her arms crossing in front of her before falling at her sides restlessly, her hands clenching into fists. Lifting her chin at the all-too familiar angle, her lips pursed together, she appraised him with a look of absolute disregard, a look her mother had perfected years ago.

"But I know now that you walking out was the best thing that could have ever happened to me."

[Haddock Vibe]

He didn't know what he expected. Not really. It was like so many of their arguments in the past. Never had he known a woman who could get so angry and, as much as it had endeared her to him in the past, he found that it only irritated him this time. Perhaps because, in the past, he'd always kidded himself into believing that she was doing it just to make him prove his love - this time around it was painfully obvious that it was the last thing she was trying to do. Here he was, trying to pour out his heart, and she didn't so much as give an inch.

At her words, his eyes hardened, his back stiffened and he sneered at her, it suddenly being too much for him to attempt to be reasonable. "It was no more than you deserved. You want to blame it all on me, but you were damn impossible to live with. Give it a few more months, Rhyssen. You're new man, he'll learn."

Grabbing her chin with firm fingers, he pressed a kiss to her mouth and then, meeting her eyes, he spat on the ground. Every vestige of love and desire for her fell from his face, his own heart even being fooled in the process. There was nothing anymore. It was as empty a feeling as he'd ever felt. The feeling followed in his wake as he stepped around her and entered the relative busyness of the streets - his errand forgotten as he headed towards Muggle London - his intent to find a good pub to get lost in for a few hours.