Chapter Eight: Heaven Here

Let the fire surround us, let it all cave in, let it all burn wild
We are leaving it all behind, we are leaving it all behind
Heaven is here

"Father wants me to work in the financial center and Mother wants me to go into healing. They both want me as far as possible from The Ministry." Scorpius was running his hands down the spines of the books in Rose's shop, helping her catalogue, while he rambled on. He couldn't stop running his mouth it seemed. Rose didn't seem to mind. She was at his feet, riffling through the titles on the bottom-most shelf; occasionally she would smile up at him and he would find himself having to forcibly refrain from gathering her up in his arms and kissing her breathless.

And so he rambled. He wished he could just shut up.

"Father says that financial work would be interesting and Mother argues that a job as a healer is better for society as a whole. Despite the fact that I would have to continue to go to school after Hogwarts, I shouldn't be discouraged. Or at least that's what she tells me." Scorpius couldn't help but sigh as he wrapped up the latest argument he and his parents seemed to be locked in. 'What happens next? Where will you go next Scorpius?'

"Well, what are you planning now?" Rose seemed puzzled as she stopped rummaging on the bottom shelf and sat back on her knees to look up at him.

He looked at her, her blouse was gaping open at the top again. 'Don't look, don't look don't look!' Scorpius repeated to himself. He couldn't help himself though. He looked, and after remembering what those wonderful breasts felt like beneath his hands a mere half hour ago, found himself wishing for looser trousers.

"Scorpius?"

"What?" He was startled out of his perverse daydreams by her quiet voice.

"I asked what your plans were?" She phrased it as a question, and arched an eyebrow in suspicion. Great, she had caught him looking.

"Er, I'm on the path to healing currently. But it's not really interesting. Boring mostly." He had turned back to the spines of the books, taking deep calming breaths.

"So you would head off to St. Mungo's after school and do an internship there?"

"Yeah, I mean, if I were to be interested in doing that. But I'm not. I just don't know what I want to do." Scorpius glanced back over at her. She looked so small there on the floor of the dusty shop. He bent down to kneel next to her before he thought about how getting closer to her probably wasn't the best of ideas in this lust-addled state. Her blush didn't help him think straight.

"Well," her voice was almost a whisper; quiet and soothing in the shadows of the bookcase. "What interests you then?"

He answered without thinking. "You. Mostly."

She blushed even further, and he couldn't help himself; he reached out and touched her red cheek with the back of his hand. "You are so beautiful." He was whispering now too.

"Scorpius," She breathed before capturing his lips with hers. Unlike their fevered kisses from before this kiss wasn't the raging fire of two hormone-crazed almost-lovers kept apart; this kiss was a slow burn, promising of things to come.

As he tangled his hands in those wonderfully long red locks of hers, he couldn't help but think that if he could just do this for the rest of his life, he would be perfectly content. Her lips opened, and he felt her tongue slide past his own lips, and shuddered. Grasping her hair more tightly in his fists, he kissed her back. Hard and deep. Delighting in the moan that escaped her and how her hands were suddenly gripping his shoulders, his back, his hair.

After a few moments of this, he found himself at an impasse. What he wanted to do next was press her up against those books again while his hands investigated the inside of her top. He wanted to pull that dress off her and kiss her perfect breasts while she tugged at his hair and wrapped her legs around his hips. He wanted to press into her again, create that blissful friction between them, possibly take his fingers and slip them deep inside her. But then he remembered earlier. How she had pulled away, the panicked look in her eyes, how she had hidden her face in shame, how he had to take long deep breaths in order to control himself, how he had felt a bit sick, thinking he had pushed her too far.

He released her, but kept his eyes closed, taking those calming breaths again. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"No," Rose whispered, sitting back against the bookshelf; distancing herself from him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have started- I mean I wanted to but- I'm just sorry."

"Don't be. You were right earlier."

"Yes, but I really wish I hadn't been." She peeked up at him, a coy and embarrassed smile on her lips. "I want you."

Her confession was as quiet as a breath. If he hadn't been looking at her, he barely would've known she had spoken.

"I want you." His confession was louder, bolder somehow. It was the truth. He wanted her more than he wanted anything in the world. He loved her, he wanted her and he felt she deserved to know. She didn't look embarrassed or scandalized; she looked pained, like she wanted to continue on where they had left off, but knew better than to act on the impulse.

For a moment, they just sat there; Rose against the bookshelf, Scorpius sitting before her. They watched the dust swirl in the air and remained silent as the sun finally sunk behind the horizon, leaving the shop cast in a blue-ish haze. It was an intimate moment. Just a boy and a girl and a confession in the dark.

After the spell was broken, Rose and Scorpius stood. He gathered the books on the floor, while she busied herself with lighting the oil lamp on the nearby desk.

He placed the pile of unsorted books next to her on a cleared corner of the desk. He was preparing to leave. It was nearly nine o'clock. The shop had been closed for nearly an hour and even he knew that Rose could only delay for so long.

"So, what are you going to do?" Rose asked. He looked at her, confused. "About your 'post-Hogwarts career'?" She added air quotes and a funny voice and he loved her for it.

"I dunno. Maybe I'll join the Ministry just to hack of mum and dad. Work for your mum in Magical Law Enforcement."

He had meant it as a joke, but he saw the worried crease come back to her forehead. It had been there when he arrived earlier. He wondered if it was the thought of what her mother would say about them that put it there, or if it was because she never wanted her mother to find out? Either way, it wasn't good. And it effectively brought them both back to reality. They were no longer just a boy and a girl; but a Malfoy and a Weasley. There was a reason they met in darkened bookshops and abandoned hallways.

Rose sighed and shook her head. Before he had a chance to respond, to apologize for bringing it up, she leaned in and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Tomorrow, he vowed. He would worry about it tomorrow.

"I love you."

The words were muffled against his chest, where her face was hidden. But he heard them, and more importantly, he felt them.

It was the first time she had said them aloud and Scorpius felt his heart race as he tried to form some coherent response.

Rose took the opportunity from him by speaking again, face still buried in his shirt. "I do," She mumbled. "I really do. You are so wonderful to me. To everyone." She propped her chin on his chest, angling her face towards his. He continued to stare into space, befuddled and smiling. "You don't judge anyone. Least of all me. I wish I could be more like you. More… accepting." She shrugged and put her face back to his chest, kissing him sweetly through his shirt.

Scorpius could think of no other response but the truth. "I love you," he murmured to her, close to her ear before claiming her lips.

After some time, they parted and Rose spoke what was on her mind. "What are we going to do?"

"Keep it a secret." Scorpius was loath to keep something that made him feel so good a secret, but he was also quite selfish, in that he didn't want something or, more importantly someone, take Rose away from him.

"Could we?' Rose sounded dubious.

Scorpius wasn't sure either, but he had made a decision. He wanted to be with her. She made him feel whole and relaxed and less anxious about every other aspect of his life. She made him feel a passion which he had never experienced before. She made him feel alive and if he needed to keep her a secret to continue enjoying her, than so be it. He loved her and he was willing to keep everything else away if need be.

He chose her.

"For you." He was whispering into her hair and tightening his grip on her body that was so very close to his own. "For you I could. For you I would do anything."

Rose's eyes welled up at his confession and could think of no other response than to pull his face closer to hers and repeat his promise. "A secret," she whispered and then molded her lips to his.

Summer was ending and in time their promise would be tested, time and time again. For now though they enjoyed the quiet, and each other and vowed to worry about all the logistics tomorrow.

Tomorrow, that's when they would worry.

Outside, the first brisk wind signaled the end to summer.

FIN

A.N: And that ladies and gentlemen is THE END! This fic has been three years in the making and I'm very grateful to everyone who favorited and reviewed. I really truly apprciate it and I want to let you all know that you are the main reasons I kept on.

Thank you and I hope you all enjoyed the ride.