multiversallogs | (no subject)

Who: Severus Snape [Beta], possibly Martha Jones. One-shot otherwise.
What: Decisions to be made. Lily drama. What else would it be?
Where: Snape-Jones Cottage in Sobek Croix
When: Immediately after Lily's first communication goes up.
Warnings: None as yet.

Severus stares at the CiD long enough for this to finally sink in. It takes a good five minutes. His mouth is too dry, heart pounding: this isn't fingerprints in dust or a letter left on his desk. This isn't the memory of her taking his place on the Barge. What he's seeing on the screen is Lily in real time, Lily alive, Lily here and within his grasp.

He doesn't know what he feels. Nervous, perhaps. Anxious. Agitated. Pressed to make a decision, though he can't, for the life of him, recall just what the other options are. So when he finally moves, it's a knee-jerk reaction because he can't think of any other way to face this. He goes in search of his coat, finds it hanging right where it's supposed to be (Because everything has its place in this household, doesn't it? And why is that? He brushes off the question like an errant fly.)

If he hadn't reached with his left hand, he would have Apparated to the Inn without a second thought. It was just by chance that he did, and similarly by chance that he saw that flash of red iron.

Oh.

Right.

His hand hovers over the coat for a moment, his attention captured by the ring, an accusation of a decision was been made for him (by him) years ago, before he ever married Martha. (I want this life.) That's quite a decision to stand by, he thinks, now that Lily is here.

Well, what's the alternative? Seeking divorce so he can - what? Pursue a married woman almost two decades his junior? One who has already rejected him twice? And what will that do to Martha? The question takes him by surprise, not because he doesn't think Martha's feelings ought to be a factor, but because he thought about them at all. He starts to explore the rabbit hole, considering just how this could affect her.

She'll be jealous; that much is obvious. She was jealous before. No matter what he decides, she'll be jealous and he will have to face that. Deal with it. Assuage her fears. But if he leaves - she'll be heartbroken. It isn't vanity which causes him to think that; he remembers the look on her face when he threw her out of their shared cabin on the Barge. After so much time spent reassuring her that he won't abandon her, this will devastate her.

Lily will be fine, he decides. Lily is no longer his responsibility; he 'finished', as the other Severus put it. Lily doesn't need him, and it's not his place to offer. Lily has a son here. She has Snape's younger counterpart. She has Charity Burbage and Hermione Granger and Nymphadora Tonks.

Martha has him. Just him. And more importantly, she wants him. That isn't something Lily can offer.

No, he'll leave that coat right where it is, sit himself down on the sofa with a glass of something noxious and strong, and not do a blasted thing about Lily Potter. For once, perhaps he'll even be happy about the choice he's making.

Threaded | Flat

One of the things that Martha was the most glad about in the city of Baedal was the fact that she didn't need to be so attached to the communicator. Whereas on the Barge she needed to make sure that seeing every message was a priority, she'd fallen out of the habit of doing it. Here there were other doctors to handle crises and the if someone did need her the little ping that alerted her to a message intended for her was rather like what she expected when they were home.

Home. It was still an odd concept to her, and one that she was working on lining up in comparison to what it had been six months ago. Severus's departure and subsequent return had made her evaluate it differently. Six additional months on the Barge (where she had wanted to stay. Why had she wanted to stay? Staying seemed completely insane once that Severus had graduated an inmate. Especially Sirius Black.) Six months in London and six months in the city of Baedal. Maybe, just maybe they were going to need to look at this as a permanent position rather than something transitory.

She'd already been making small movements towards permanence. The mark on her wrist was a sure sign, the biggest and the most outward, but there were others too. Martha had gotten involved with helping people below the radar of the Militia and she'd volunteered some of her time at the temples in the city hoping that whatever gods or karmic force would take perhaps help them and make things easier.

Also she'd missed being as busy as she was aboard the Barge. She didn't want to ever get that much like a workaholic again, but Martha Snape-Jones wasn't the sort of person who rested on her laurels.

Another concession was the manner in which Martha had slipped back into reading fiction. She devoured it whole in hours like she hadn't since she'd been in medical school. (While she was a student the only novels she'd allowed herself were certain ones of a magical persuasion.) The little alcove in their bedroom with the large comfy chair had been slowly but surely surrounded by books. If she had been familiar with Bookford cottage, she would have lamented the lack of library along with their lack of life.

Deciding that the book she was currently reading required tea, Martha had moved downstairs into the kitchen. Coming past the living room, and spotting him there with the drink made her frown a bit, and she stepped closer to him. At some point in the evening, Martha had slipped on a jumper of his because she was cold. Considering it hung like a dress, she hadn't bothered to add additional clothing.

"Everything alright, love?" There was concern in her tone as she perched on the edge of the couch and touched his shoulder.