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Zelda drove toward the highway, relieved to be in an isolated area where no one would ask questions about her companion. The car was too warm for her with the heater on, so she opened her window. She glanced at her strange passenger, but his head was turned away from her. She thought he'd probably passed out again. It was still early; her twilight zone adventure had taken little more than an hour, but the consequences were daunting.

'He needs medical care that I can't give him,' she thought. 'What if his skull's fractured? The wound on his arm looks awful and he's hypothermic. Oh, gods! I may not be able to get him warm in time. I don't want to end up with an unidentified corpse on my hands.'

She tried to suppress her guilty knowledge that she didn't want to leave him at a hospital, but she was too honest with herself. 'He's barely alive, but there's something remarkable about him. He has amazing eyes, so deep it seemed I could see his soul. But what do I know about him? His accent is British, but he was beaten up and dumped in the middle of North America to die. He's afraid...' Zelda shuddered. 'I don't want to meet whoever did this,' she thought.

A BP station appeared, isolated enough that she felt safe stopping. She decided to fill the gas tank so she wouldn't have to stop later. As she opened her door, Severus turned hastily around. He looked terrible, still shivering convulsively, and she wondered if he thought she'd abandon him. "I'm going to pump gas, and then I'll get something hot for you to drink," she said reassuringly. Tension radiated from him, and he closed his eyes, which looked red and watery. She frowned. "Does the light hurt your eyes?" she asked solicitously.

He started to nod, then changed his mind and whispered, "Yes."

She leaned into the car, opened the glove box and found some black wraparound sunglasses for him. He looked different with them on, she thought, remote and intense. He turned toward her while she pumped gas, but with the glasses on she couldn't tell if he was awake. Then she drove under a shady tree and went back to the station.

Severus felt bereft as she walked out of sight. He knew he was behaving like a child, but the recent events seemed to have broken something in him. When she reappeared, he was relieved. She carried a small cardboard box with four covered paper cups. She inserted a plastic straw into one and held it to his lips so he could drink. It was the worst tea he'd ever tasted, heavily laced with milk and sugar, but the heat of it seemed to ease the chill in his chest slightly. He finished all of it and looked up to see Zelda watching him with a relieved smile on her lips.

"Thank you," he said, sounding and feeling slightly more normal. "If there is more, I should probably drink it soon."

She sat in the doorway near his feet, looking up at him. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "The food's revolting here, but if you're desperate... "

He curled his lip disgustedly at the idea and then glanced apprehensively down at her. Her mouth was twitching, and when he met her gaze, she smiled merrily. He smiled cautiously and trying not to move his head, he put his shaking hand down to grasp hers. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it gratefully. "Instead, may I please have some more of your delicious tea?" he queried politely.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and she inserted the straw into the next cup of tea. As he drank the next two cups, she grew thoughtful and asked seriously, "Severus, do you think your skull is fractured?"

He raised an eyebrow questioningly and tried to think why she would ask, but the hot tea had begun to make him drowsy. He said irritably, "I don't know. My head just hurts."

"You're a moody one, aren't you?" she said teasingly. "Seriously, I want to see if I can tell. Will you show me where to look, please?"

He carefully removed the sunglasses and touched a sizable lump above his right ear. She leaned close and carefully parted the hair. Her hands were steady and gentle as she felt all over the area. She pressed harder, and he tensed but made no sound. She let his hair fall back and stroked his cheek for a moment, and then said, "Where else?"

Reluctantly he touched the back of his head, and her fingers followed his to a knot, low down, close to his spinal column. She realized that if it had landed a little lower the blow would have killed him immediately. She pressed around it cautiously and could discern no depression in the bone, however. That was a positive sign. Severus groaned, and she stopped, somewhat reassured. She looked closely into his eyes again, his pupils were definitely different sizes, and pain had etched harsh lines on his face. "I'm sorry I hurt you. There's probably no fracture, but you must be in terrible pain. I don't know what to do. You need medical help."

Severus searched her face; he enjoyed seeing her look so concerned, but realized that she would need convincing to help him. "I don't believe I'll die, Zelda," he explained, "I cannot explain myself to your authorities; I don't even know where I am. Please let me stay with you."

She shook her head doubtfully. "Oh, curse it! Severus, if you die on me, make sure you're thoroughly dead or I'll kill you again myself." She was worried, but it seemed he had won his point.

"Thank you. Now, may I please have some more tea? It tastes repulsive, but it is subduing my little chill." he said smugly.

She picked up the last cup of tea and once more held it up for him. When he had finished, she tossed the empty cups away, reclined his seat, and fastened his seatbelt. The belt seemed to annoy him, but she said, "Please leave it on; you should be immobilized." She wrapped the blankets warmly around him and looked at him for a long while. She closed the car door gently then and began driving home.

The sun was high as Zelda drove the car straight into her waiting garage. The garage door closed; the darkness gave an illusion of safety and she ran into the house while her passenger still lay sleeping. She kicked off her boots, started a bath and splashed in bubble bath. Next she headed for the kitchen and opened a can of chicken soup. She dumped it into a bowl and shoved it into the microwave. She filled the teakettle and turned the heat on low, then went back to the garage.

Severus slept deeply, and once more Zelda paused to consider whether she was mad. He needed a hospital, not her inexpert care. She feared that giving in to him might be disastrous. She put her hand on his shoulder gently and said, "Severus, wake up. We're here."

He looked briefly panicked, but relaxed when he recognized her. "Where is here, precisely?" he asked.

"My house," she said shortly, reaching in and unfastening the seatbelt. He sat up too quickly and sank back in the seat, groaning. She gave him a stern look, and said, "Listen to me. You're going to take a warm bath to raise your body temperature. I'll help you bathe because you'll drown if I don't." Severus glared at her, but she continued, "Then you'll drink more hot liquids. Then you'll sleep. If you've got a problem with my agenda tell me now. I'll gladly drive you and your outraged modesty out to the woods and put you back where I found you. Any questions?"

Severus had raised his head haughtily to tell the bloody woman he was perfectly capable of surviving a bath alone, but the movement set his head spinning again. He leaned back and resentfully replied, "No questions... Ma'am."

Her lips were suspiciously tight, but she remained silent as she unlatched the seat belt, and began removing the blankets he was wrapped in. He caught sight of his arms, and looked down at his body, appalled, and choked, "What in Merlin's name am I wearing?"

Zelda burst out laughing. Severus stared furiously up at her while she giggled. When she could speak, she said tartly, "You're not wearing much but it's all mine, so think twice before you criticize my fashion sense."

His traitorous brain treated him to a flashback of himself staring at her breasts as she put her own socks on his bruised feet. Without another word he swung his shaking legs out of the car and stood upright for a moment, but would have fallen if she hadn't caught and steadied him.

"Lean on me, and let's go," said Zelda. "I'm starting to believe you're too cursed stubborn to die, no matter how badly hurt you are."

She led him through a door, through a sunny kitchen, and then down a short hall to the bathroom. A massive, claw-footed tub stood half full of sudsy water. She felt the water, seemed satisfied, and turned to him with an annoying smile, murmuring, "Be brave now, my boy... it's time to see what the damage is."

He froze, outraged at her impudence, but she ignored him and lifted his left arm cautiously to examine his forearm. The sleeve was miraculously not stuck tight to the bloody wound, so she eased his arm out of the sleeve. She carefully pulled the sweater over his head and took it away, and then he was standing close to her, shivering and bare-chested, with only a shirt or something tied around his waist.

Severus realized that his heart was pounding and he was feeling suddenly breathless. She untied the shirt and jacket from his waist and tossed them into the corner. Only the fact that she was studiously looking away from him made it possible to take her arm and step into the bath.

Warmth enveloped him and he lay back in relief. This was all he needed to heal, he thought. But the tub was longer and deeper than he thought, and when a wave of dizziness blinded him, he started to slip completely under the water. Zelda's hand grasped his wrist just in time, and she pulled him back up, steadying him until he could sit by himself. She was obviously amused, and his outraged pride could take no more. He tightened his grip on her wrist and flipped her neatly into the water in front of him, clothes and all.

She flew out of the bath like a scalded cat, water pouring off of her, and said, "Wipe that smirk off your face before I drown you!" But her eyes twinkled and her mouth twisted into a wry smile as she examined her dripping self.

"I deserved that," she said ruefully, "I'm sorry. This is so bizarre I can't help making a fool of myself, and a fool of you too. I forgot that in your position I might not be amused. I'll be good now."

"I'm going to get a hot drink for you. Try not to drown while I'm gone," said Zelda, as she reached into a cabinet and threw him a towel. "Use this to cover the, um, family jewels... as it were." She stuck her tongue out and then flashed a smile at him as she sloshed out of the bathroom.

Careful not to submerge completely, Severus leaned back. The water relaxed his muscles, and the shivering that plagued him began to ease. His head was still throbbing, and if he moved quickly he grew so dizzy he couldn't see, but he was quite sure that he would survive. He began trying to mentally unravel the mystery of what had happened the night before...

Bellatrix Lestrange... he felt again her fingers touching his skin, and a wave of nausea threatened him. He controlled himself, examined his bruises, and cautiously looked at his stinging left forearm. Blood oozed sluggishly into the bath water, and as he stared he realized that the endless burn of the Dark Mark was indeed completely gone. Over the years he had frequently thought of doing to himself exactly what she had done. A 'loyal' Death Eater would never do such a thing, however. Joy flooded through him. The hated thing was gone for good, and a piece of flesh gone with it was a price well worth paying to feel cleaner than he had felt in many years.

He looked up at a sound from the doorway, incredulous joy still transforming his face. Zelda was standing there, wearing a bathrobe and holding a large, steaming mug. She looked startled as she knelt at the side of the tub. As she handed him the mug, she glanced into the bath and raised her eyebrow, directing his eye to the floating towel. He hastily covered 'the, um, family jewels,' and took the mug. This time the tea she brought was excellent. It was Earl Gray, with honey and lemon. The heat of it, combined with the bath, really warmed him for the first time. "This is marvelous," he muttered grudgingly, "What was that vile stuff you gave me before?"

"Floor sweepings," she replied gravely.

He stared at her, and then the sense of her words penetrated his sluggish wits and he smiled.

"I'm sorry if gas station tea wasn't up to your standards," she said mischievously, "But it helped keep you alive, didn't it?"

"Yes, but at what price to my outraged sensibilities?" he responded cynically.

She chuckled appreciatively, "I'll bring you some chicken soup in a few minutes, but first I'll wash your back, if it's okay with you."

"I don't have much choice, do I?" he responded, but he didn't seem to mind, so she soaped up a face cloth and carefully scrubbed the filth off of his back.

She rinsed him clean with a very efficient shower device on a hose. 'These Muggles,' he thought indulgently, conscious for the first time that she was indeed a Muggle, 'how practical they can be.' That reminded him of Dumbledore's affectionate attitude toward Muggles, and then memory came roaring back and he remembered what he had done. He moaned and buried his head in his hands, welcoming agony as he realized that everything had gone wrong. He had killed Albus Dumbledore, but the plan was ruined thanks to Bellatrix, and with it his chance at redemption. All of his hope was completely destroyed.

"Severus?" Zelda leaned forward, and put her hands on his shoulders. He didn't respond, but she put her hand under his chin and forced him to look up. His black eyes were full of tears and it seemed he couldn't speak. She put her arms around him and held him for several minutes, until he began shivering again. She stood up. She attempted to sound practical, and said, "Lie back in the water while I get your soup."

He looked shattered by his emotional storm, and while the water warmed him, she stood up and left the room. When she returned she carried a bowl of soup that was full of thick noodles, vegetables and chunks of chicken. She spooned it into his mouth as if he was a child, and he ate obediently. Carefully avoiding his injuries she washed his hair. Next she washed his face and behind his ears, as if she were bathing a young child. Seeing how passive he was, she assumed an air of brisk efficiency, and finished washing him, concerned when he didn't react to her washing his genitals. As she rinsed him, she said, "Let's get you out of here so you can go to bed. I'll wake you in a few hours to check on your concussion. Stand up, Severus," she said.

As he stepped shakily out of the bath, she wrapped him in a towel, and with another she dried him completely. Then she led him to a bedroom, where he sat on the edge of a large bed and she brushed the tangles out of his black hair. Finally she helped him sink back on the bed, and covered him with a heavy comforter. She knelt to bandage the wound on his arm and apply salve to the gash on his face. When she finished, she leaned her head wearily on the bed, overwhelmed by everything that had occurred. He opened his eyes then, looking exhausted and confused.

"I have to do a few things, and after that I'll be napping on the couch in the other room, all right?" she told him. "Call me if you need me."

'He looks so lost,' she thought. 'As if he doesn't really want me to leave, but doesn't dare to say it.' She leaned over and lightly kissed his lips, saying, "It'll be all right, Severus."

His eyes were shocked, and swiftly he captured her hand to stop her leaving and said in a low, hesitant voice, "Zelda... kiss me again... please?"

"Why?" She stared at him, transfixed at his intense expression.

"Because... because no one kisses me," he whispered painfully.

In answer she caressed his cheek and touched her lips briefly to his, but he responded to her hungrily. The kiss grew in intensity until finally she pulled away, stunned. She stroked his cheek once more with a trembling hand. She tried to look in his eyes again, but he smiled sweetly, already falling asleep.