Forever and Always Yours, SS [Book 3]

Chapter 81

"I have to go to court tomorrow."

"What?" Severus stood at the base of the steps, stunned.

Amilia held up the scroll, "I have been summoned, so has Eric."

"What else does it say?"

Amilia shook her head, "Nothing."

"What time?"

"Ten in the morning."

Severus groaned and sat down, "I can ask Poppy to watch Jordan." He lifted his eyes from the plate and noticed Amilia was not holding their daughter. Panic set in as his eyes darted around, looking for the baby.

"She is in the crib."

"What?"

Amilia chewed her lip, "I was hungrier than I thought." She refused to look him in the eyes.

Relief washed over him, and he did his best not to sigh audibly. "I am glad you ate."

"I do not feel better," Amilia looked at the portrait of her parents and brother.

"You do not have to." Severus tried to take her hand in his, and she shied away. "I just want you to know that everything is going to be alright."

"Is it?" She scowled. "The Dark Lord is back, my friend almost died and may never walk again, and I am so scared that everytime this blasted mark burns, you will not come home."

"I will burn the world to come home to you and Jordan." Severus said quickly.

Amilia pursed her lips, "I just want things to go back to normal."

"This is our normal now. We just have to work on a new one when it is over."

Amilia sat there, silent as stone.

Severus took that time to mindlessly chew some of the food she had left for him. He set the photos on the table between them. "Albus will be gone for the next couple of days, and he gave me these."

Amilia glanced at them, then did a double-take. She picked them up, "I had forgotten about this one."

"You look beautiful."

"It did not stay that way." She said sourly.

Severus realized what she meant, and his pit of guilt grew. "I will be forever sorry for that."

Amilia rose from the chair and grabbed a box from the mantle; Severus recognized it as the one Narcissa had gifted Jordan. Amilia placed the photos inside and watched the others scroll by. She set it back down and then stared at him, "I am going to bathe."

Severus stood up, the chair making an awful screeching sound against the stone floor, "I will go get it ready for you."

"No..." she fidgeted with her hair, which Minerva had helped fix. It was much shorter than when Severus first laid eyes on her, now barely touching the tops of her shoulders. "I am going to the Prefect's Bathroom. You deserve some time with Jordan."

Amilia lowered herself into the steaming water, a violet haze hanging in the air. The warmth of the water began to radiate through her, she had wanted to take a nice bath like this shortly after Jordan was born, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the wee little thing yet. Then the whole Ritchie thing happened.

She stared at the stained glass mermaid; what did I ever do to make him act like that? She shook her head; no, you cannot think like that. He did that, not you.

Amilia slid down under the water, her cheeks puffing out with the breath that she held. She did not open her eyes but kept under until the negative thoughts started to float away. She breached the water's surface and gasped for air; that ought to do it.

After washing her hair and body, Amilia stood before the large mirrors and stared at the stretch marks on her stomach and the healing burns on her shoulders. Eric had shielded her as much as he could; his legs and back had had it worse. Poppy said she was lucky, but it would take a little time; the salves Severus made were helping.

"Enough of this." Amilia huffed, but she couldn't take her eyes away. She expected the change after having Jordan, but she did not think she would have this kind of reaction to it. Severus seems to think I am still beautiful. She scowled, it did not make her feel better to have that thought rattle around, but it was a start. Or is it?

Slowly Amilia dressed in a nightgown and tossed on the nightrobe; the hall was quiet, not even a ghost was to be seen. She enjoyed the silence as she returned to the dungeons until she got close to their quarters; from there, she could hear little Jordan crying her little heart out.

She opened the door to find a frazzled Severus bouncing their daughter as he paced across the room. "You are back." He sounded very relieved.

"Is she hungry?"

"I have changed her and tried everything that would normally soothe her."

Amilia held her arms out; Severus gently handed their daughter over and watched as she walked into the bedroom and fed the baby.