With breakfast ready, the wizards carry their trays into the living room, and through the door Elsbet created. Once outside, they find themselves in a masterpiece in progress. She's creating a little park, a park just for them, complete with shady trees, fragrant flowers, soft grass and even a little pond. Snape's heart skips a beat. A pond...she must know, somehow, that her pond, with all her beloved fish, is gone. He will make it up to her, he will make it right...

There's even a picnic table, and they lay out the trays on it, then look around the little park. "Ellie," Therion smiles, "did you make this?" She tells them, "no...there were seeds in the soil that wanted to live, and I told them that if they grew we would love them and take care of them." Snape offers her his hand and she takes it, then he hugs her tightly to him. "It's beautiful, Ellie!" Malfoy takes it all in and asks Snape if his peacocks could live here, and Snape tells him, "I believe they would be quite happy, Lucius. But we can not bring them just yet. It would seem...suspicious." Malfoy nods, undaunted. "It would be so perfect. With fish in the pond, too..."

Snape leads Elsbet to the table as Therion and Malfoy sit down. "This all looks and smells so good!" She's pleased and each wizard feels a stirring of pride. They know they don't have to prove they can provide for her, or for each other, for that matter, but they have, and they're happy, and as they share their lovely morning meal, that feeling of being a family that was already deep, feels even deeper now. "It's too bad we can't just stay home today and enjoy this, and help our little park grow," Therion says, and Elsbet looks at each of them. "Why can't we? Oh, we should! I want to!" She smiles a radiant smile and Snape tells her, "I must meet with Brother Perdurabo, Therion is going to show Lucius more of the City, and you," he raises an eyebrow at her, "should be going to your dojo. Master Han has been very patient, and we both know how important your training is. Besides," he shrugs, "you can spend time with Lupin and Tonks."

There's something implied there that Therion and Elsbet don't catch, but Malfoy does. You're hoping he will teach her Defense Against- Snape's barely perceptable flick of his head is the answer Malfoy expected. Someone has to. I can't, and neither can you. Lupin is more than qualified, and...and I trust him implicitly with her safety. Malfoy looks out at the small pond, at the sunlight glinting on its surface. Severus, he thinks, why can't I teach her? Snape rises and gathers up the empty plates, and kisses Elsbet's cheek as he goes back into the house. Malfoy follows him in with the empty juice pitcher.

Snape doesn't hesitate once they're inside. You are a Healer now, Lucius. That is where your energy and magic needs to be channelled. Malfoy doesn't get more juice, but corners Snape in the kitchen as he cleans and dries the dishes. He looks deeply into those black eyes and smiles slightly. You're afraid I might...'suffer a relapse', as Dumbledore would say? Snape slides his hands up to Malfoy's hips and lets them rest there as he leans against the counter. No, Lucius, I am not. I simply feel that anything other than the Healing Arts is a waste of your gifts. Malfoy presses himself against Snape and nuzzles his neck, then kisses his satiny skin just below his ear.

My gifts? Malfoy thinks, and his thoughts are as seductive as his caresses. Have no doubt of them, Lucius. Or your skill...Snape's hard against Malfoy's body, a body now seemingly filled with a sudden urgency and need. But even though he knows he has Snape in a temporarily vulnerable position, he dosen't push him. He wants what's just beneath those clothes, what's swollen and stiff, he wants the scent of him, the taste of him, before he's gone for Merlin-only-knows how long. Snape could just as easily have him vulnerable; he could just as easily move his graceful hands to his stiffening cock, and then do those incredible, extraordinary things with that remarkable mouth of his. But instead...

The two wizards kiss. It is a soft kiss, a tender one, that could ignight into a passionately rough one. It conveys love, need, respect, desire, and a simple plea...please, don't leave me...don't leave us...the kiss ends and Snape holds Malfoy tightly. "I don't want to leave, Lucius, you know that. But I don't have a choice. If we are to have the life we desire, I have to see this through." Malfoy rests against him and even after Therion follows Elsbet into the house with the rest of the dishes, the two wizards hold each other. Elsbet stops Therion from going into the kitchen, and they set the dishes on the dining room table. She wants them to have their moment alone.

She fidgets for a moment, then turns toward the front door, but Snape thinks to Therion, don't let her leave. We walk out togther. Therion takes her into his arms and kisses her softly as Snape releases Malfoy, then levitates the remaining dishes to them. In just a minute or two, everything is clean and put away, and the four lovers are on their way out. As they head out toward the park, they find Cambion and Loki perched on the dry fountain awaiting them. It's a beautiful morning, perfect for lounging (or leisurely sex) beside a pond, and as they start off in the direction of the dojo, they see Remus and Tonks heading toward them.

"This is just perfect," Therion says, "we could have had an orgy." Elsbet laughs and both Malfoy and Snape give him looks of complete surprise, as if neither of them had thought of something like that. Well, Snape hadn't, but Malfoy had, and as he turns slightly to Snape, the Dark wizard gives him a look that freezes his impish grin in place. "Ah, perhaps not," Malfoy chuckles and follows Elsbet and Therion as they walk out to meet their approaching friends. Are you that uncomfortable with him, that you can not explore the possibilities? Malfoy thinks to Snape, and the Potions Master tells him he's not sure how to feel around Remus yet. Or Tonks, for that matter...

As the woman he loves bounds happily toward the people who have become two of his closest allies, he wonders vaguely what he would do if she decided to 'explore possibilities' with them. Well, Snape knows she wouldn't be alone in the exploration, as evidenced by the way Therion and the werewolf look at each other. Remus seems almost shy under Therion's gaze, and it is a bit charming, really; it adds a softness to Remus' features he'd never noticed berfore. Snape imagines Remus looking that way under Black's intense gaze...

"Wotcher, Ellie!" Tonks' exhuberant greeting disrupts Snape's train of thought, and as Elsbet hugs Tonks tightly, with just as much exhuberance, he begins to wonder if Malfoy might have a point. He wonders who would be the dominant lover between Tonks and his Oddbit, if Tonks were of a mind...Malfoy certainly wouldn't want to miss out on the experience...Snape dosen't blame him, and wouldn't begrudge him for it...in fact, the willingness to embrace them makes the fledgling Healer all the more beautiful to him. And he knows Therion wouldn't miss a thing. Snape appraises himself with a critical eye as the five of them wait for him. He has come so very far, he knows he still has a distance to go in his own growth, but hasn't he come far enough to at least dabble a bit?

Well, he might not be willing to 'dabble' with Remus right now, but he certainly wouldn't object to watching Elsbet and Tonks enjoying each other's company. As he watches the little group, he knows he'd be missing out on something special if he opted out, so to speak. Remus' slightly nervous, almost boyish half-grin as Therion puts his arm around the werewolf's shoulder in welcome, and Tonks' hand sliding down to rest in the small of Elsbet's back make him wonder if she and Remus have actually thought about a closer, deeper relationship with them.

Snape thinks he might not be so willing to dismiss such a joining after all, but only Time will tell...

"So," Remus says, "what are you all up to this fine day? No good, I suspect," he says jokingly, and Therion nods agreeably. "Of course. Care to join us?" Malfoy gives Snape a sly look and Snape tries to look stony, only barely pulling it off. Snape says, "why don't the five of you keep each other company while I pay a visit to Brother Perdurabo? We can always meet up for a late lunch." Malfoy nods. "I think that is an acceptable idea," he says with a glance at Therion. "Ellie needs to head straight to her dojo, if the lovely Miss Tonks wouldn't mind escorting her there?" Therion says and Remus gives a soft laugh. "Meanwhile," Therion continues, "the three of us can rove the City, doing..." he looks mischieviously up at the cloudless blue sky, "deeds of questionable benefit."

Remus brings his arm up to Therion's shoulder and meets Malfoy's bright gaze for a second, then tells his wife, "Tonks, you may be getting your husband back slightly debauched," and she replies with a wry smile, "I'll live with that as long as you're still in one piece." The werewolf's warm brown eyes flick to Snape's, then the three wizards depart. Tonks tells Snape she'll keep Elsbet out of trouble, then the ladies depart themselves. As Snape turns and heads to his own destination, he thinks he is extraordinarily lucky. He knows he'll do whatever it takes to hold on to that luck...