Limitless

Operation Cattermol

The next morning I woke up in Fabian's arms, his breath on the back of my neck, his legs pressed against mine. I tried to take a moment to absorb the moment for myself before he woke up but something must have woken him up at the same time because his arm pulled around me reflexively and he grumbled into my hair.

"Good morning Yves."

"Good morning Fabian." I said, my voice also thick with sleep.

His lips were on the back of my neck before the words were out of my mouth, his beard tickling my already sensitive skin. I rolled over but before I could so much as enjoy the embrace, a silver light exploded into the room. Dumbledore's distinctive partonus spoke in his voice clearly.

"Report to Headquarters for a briefing." Before it disappeared into a silvery wisp. My stomach seized.

Headquarters.

Sirius.

Shit.

I hadn't had a single moment to quantify what was happening between Fabian and I. Similarly I hadn't had a chance to think about what I had done to Sirius and how I was going to tell him. I felt a familiar stabbing pain in my chest but I controlled my breathing as much as I could.

Fabian was watching me as carefully as he always did. I didn't know what to say but I did not look away or hide my face. He lifted his hand and tucked a stray tendril of hair behind my ear, his face completely composed and without any evident trace of worry.

"You see this?" I said waving my hand over his body, "This is one of the things I want to learn from you."

"And what is that?" he said with a smile.

"Your incredible ability to remain unperturbed."

"What would I have to worry about?" he said with a frown forming.

"We're being summoned to Headquarters..." I let the statement hang while giving him a knowing look. He had to know what I was talking about. After all, we were on the same wavelength with just about everything else.

"Yeah, and?" He said a smile blooming on his ridiculously handsome face.

"And," I said in a little bit of a huff, the pain in my chest growing again, "Sirius."

He looked at me for a very long time; I could tell that he was measuring his words.

"I understand your concern," he said in a very level voice, "but before we make an issue out of this, let me just say a few things ok?" I nodded but he waited still looking at me intensely.

"Promise me that you're going to consider what I'm about to say."