A night of firsts...

"You three sure know how to pick the pubs," I remark as I sit down inbetween Darko and Vessina.

"Hey now, hunters know how to pick them. Treasure, werewolf, vampire, doesn't matter," Rassaman says as he sets down some drinks. "Awfully ballsy of these owners though to put a wizarding pub in the middle of Muggle London."

"Ah, they just copied the Leaky Cauldron that's all."

Rassaman plunks a glass in front of me, and without hesitation I take a sniff.

"Hey!"

"I don't trust the three of you," I say with a grin.

"About time you learned that." Darko says with a laugh. "But don't worry. Larisa isn't here. I heard you actually beat her and Isabella both, fair and square today."

I nod. "That I did."

Any response is drowned out by the music that starts playing. Weird Sisters. Not bad.

"So. A toast to dear Nicolas," Darko stands up, and still doesn't even stand above my height, let alone Vessina or Rassaman. She ignores the snickering. "One month of training down, another to go."

"Thank Merlin," I mutter into the glass, downing it in one gulp. The three of them decided to take me out for tonight, due to the fact that tomorrow's training isn't going to start until ten am, instead of the usual early morning. Larisa and Corridia issues that they need to resolve won't be fininished until then. I'll just drop by Magi Market tomorrow, and see how Colin's doing with the store.

Rassaman's eyes move over the bar, alert as ever. I noticed he's not drinking anything hard.

"See anything interesting?" Vessina pipes up.

"Bunch of witches dancing."

I twist a bit in my chair, smiling as I see a group of witches dancing around the large WWN model, something that looks like an exceptionally large old fashioned radio. But if you drop in two Knuts, you get a couple songs. "A sweet sight for anyone."

"Pigs," Darko mutters.

"No. We just appreciate the beautiful sight of witches that dance," Rassaman retorts.

"Well, anyone going to dance with me?" Darko looks at me. "Nicolas?"

"Sorry, hon. I have two left feet. Only work when it's a slow dance."

Darko snorts and then downs one of my own shots (Rassaman put like three each in front of each us) and then heads off to join the group of girls. A couple of them certianly have caught my interest of a sort... maybe it's because I see flashes of blonde hair. I count at least three of them in the group that's dancing.

"Need more drinks," Vessina announces.

"Come on you lush," I stand up. "Lets go get some." As we walk up to the bar itself, I watch one blonde witch leave her drink on the bar, joining the others. One wizard is eyeing it with interest, and not a good one. As Vessina makes his orders, I pretend to listen. And wait.

......

I grab the wrist that's about to pour something that's not legal most likely, and twist slightly, causing the slimebag to yelp a bit. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," I say softly.

The song ends, I hate it when that happens, such a good song too, but it has to end sometime and I glance around momentarily to get my barings. I've spun around a little too much I think and it takes a while to work out that...yes the bar's that way. I head back to find my drink, hoping it's still there. It is. Good. As I get closer I can see something's not right. Two Wizards are hovering over my drink. One gripping the other's wrist in what looks to be a rather uncomfortable possition. What on earth... I don't like getting in the middle of things but a fight in a club is more dangerous than a fight outside and this situation has to be defused now! I stand up straighter and put on my most flirty of smiles. Not an easy thing for me.

"Excuse me? Is there some kind of problem here? I didn't mean for my drink to be in anyones way but that song was just so good!" I try to remember what my friends at school taught me about flirting, they taught me to 'sparkle'...although I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to do that. I don't feel like sparkling tonight.

One of them looks over at me, the wizard gripping the other's wrist. Startling blue eyes that are dark, but instantly lighten the moment they land on me. He smiles, nods, and then lets go of the wrist.

"Only problem just got resolved," he says smoothly, glaring at the other wizard. Then instantly plucks whatever was in the wizards hand, drops it to the ground and it shatters. "See?" He turns back to me. "Resolved."

My smile falters and I jump slightly at the shattering vial at my feet and feel instantly furious with myself. I'd been about to accuse the wrong wizard. I felt sure that the blue-eyed Wizard, why does he look familiar?, was the troublemaker...when all along this...streak of pondslime had been trying to drug me!

"Thank you." I tell him regaining my smile. I won't tell him it was unnecessary because of the charm I'd cast. It's the thought that counts in situations as potentially dangerous as that.

The other wizard, the pondslime, moves off, grumbling something and the other one just smirks before turning his attention to me. "Your welcome. Next time darlin' dance first, then order your drink. Not the other way around." He holds my drink out. "Nice dancing by the way. Only saw a little, but it was enthusiastic" He drawls out, this time his accent, which I barely heard earlier, comes out thick.

I narrow my eyes at him, I'm not sure I like being called 'darlin' ' "That had been my intention, I had been dancing before I ordered my drink...I just got distracted by that song. It really is good, that wasn't just a line to stop you breaking his wrist." I can feel myself blushing and thank Merlin it's dark in here! He saw me dancing...and I'm not sure whether 'enthusiastic' is good or not. Suddenly the penny drops, I've heard that accent before!

"You're the kneazle Wizard!...ooh erm sorry...Nina Poliakoff's brother!" Now if only I could remember his damn name. Kneazle Wizard is hardly polite!

He laughs. "Kneazle Wizard? Well, that's a nice way to label me." He pauses and his next words come carefully. "You look familiar yourself. But I can't place you for the life of me. How do you know that I'm Nina's brother?"

"I used to work in the Magical Menagerie. Your sister brought her kneazle in for it's supplements just before I left." I'm blushing even harder, if that's possible. Kneazle Wizard indeed! At least he doesn't seem offended by it.

"Did she? Oh yes. Katie Bell, is what Nina said to me." He leans closer and whispers. "The name is Nicolas, and it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Bell." He goes back to his original position just as another song starts and once again I feel the need to dance flow through me. This time he gives me a slow smile that sends something else through me. "Best go dance Katerina Bell," he says softly. "Don't want to waste it now do you?"

Whatever the something else was that his smile triggered is drowned in outrage. "My name is Katie, not Katerina!" I snap. I was going to ask him to dance, rather forward perhaps but a casual dance was never a crime, now I feel more like hexing him...or worse hexing myself for the thought that 'Katerina' may not be my name but it does sound good with that accent. I take my drink with me this time as I walk back to the dance floor. I will not have him think of me as a complete idiot as to make the same mistake twice, after such a lucky escape.

I watch her walk off and then turn back to the bartender, and order my drink. As I wait, I sit down on the stool and turn back to the small dance floor. I instantly see Katie Bell, more of a Katerina in my mind. I smile to myself as I saw those gorgeous brown eyes of hers flash in annoyance at what I called her.

Spirit, Katerina Bell has. Fire, definitely.

I watch the witch dance a bit longer, then take my drink from the bartender. Darko comes up to me and we engage in a brief chat while she waits for her drinks. Unable to help myself, my attention keeps straying to the dance floor, watching Katerina Bell.

There are a couple other witches that are dancing that are certainly interesting, but at the moment my interest is on one witch, although I have no idea why.


"Hi."

I look away to see one of the witches I saw earlier, dancing, come up to me. I nod in a greeting.

Which apparently gave her the green light to hit on me.

I look away from the dance floor and take in the witch next to me. Gorgeous, I'll give her that. Certainly...

But nothing. Nothing.

I take her hand off my shoulder. "Save your charms for another dear. I'm not biting."

"Tough audience you are," she snaps.

"And you're a regular actress. Go act on someone else."

She just rolls her eyes and goes back on the dance floor and I turn away from it, trying to ignore the other witch, or just one witch, on that dance floor.

Somehow dancing always calms me down and within moments I forget my irritation at Nicolas Poliakoff. All I remember now is his eyes and his smile. I find myself grinning and force the thoughts out of my brain. He's cute I'll give him that, and judging by what I saw below eye-level, he's built too. No I'm not going to think of that! Just because he's cute and made of solid muscle doesn't mean I'm going to go drool over him like some hormonal teenager. I haven't done that since Oliver left Hogwarts! I glance back to the bar, he's still sitting there and fresh irritation flares. He's wasting perfectly good songs just sitting there on his backside!

It's not your problem if some people have no sense of taste. I tell myself and force myself to turn away from the bar as I dance. Some people are just philistines...but still...shouldn't I at least try to... I shut the thought off. If I try to do anything the end result could be disasterously out of control. It has happened before.

Someone, a witch bumps into me as she storms past coming away from the bar, sending my dance into an unplanned spin and resulting in a good proportion of my water being splashed down my top.

"Excuse you." I say pointedly and growl as I find I'm facing the bar again. Facing that wizard. With a sigh I give up the fight with my common sense and walk back to the bar, forgetting I now look like I've entered a wet t-shirt competition.

"Aren't you dancing to any of them?" I ask him, placing what is left of my drink back on the bar.

"Now that I sent one of the dancers back on the dance floor, angry because her lack of charms didn't work on me?" He grins. "Definitely not. Know any drying charms Miss Katie Bell?"

"What? Oh...yes." I pull my wand out and point it at myself muttering the charm under my breath, returning my shirt to it's usual state. "You don't seem the type of Wizard to hide from an annoyed Witch." I tell him, of course I have no idea what type of Wizard he is, but if he's not dancing because of one irritated witch...

I stop my thought again as the song changes. I decide to sit this one out myself. It's far too slow for my liking, slow dances means more time for people to see how bad you truely are. Something that no one notices with fast dances. I take a seat at the bar and order another water.

"Oh I wasn't hiding. I just prefer to dance to something like this." He stands. "Care for one with me Miss Bell? I promise I won't do anything you won't want." Poliakoff grins.

I open my mouth to speak, how would he know what I want?!, but no sound comes out. Damn that smile! I take a quick sip of water and try again. "I can't dance...not to slow stuff...it always seems so personal."

I'm going red again, I can feel it. More than just heat from dancing. Once again I'm very grateful for the dimmed lights which hide my embarassment. You wanted to get him to dance, my mind taunts wickedly. So I did, I should have known with my luck something like this would happen.

Nicolas Poliakoff shakes his head, and steps closer. Leans close enough to whisper in my ear, his voice low, soft, and that.. that accent. "It's only personal if you make it personal. Take a chance, Katerina Bell... I won't bite."

Oh, but I wish you would. My breath catches in my throat and I almost choke at my own thoughts. Where the hell did that come from?! I frown at his use of 'Katerina' again but I suppose he's right. "Alright, but my name is Katie, not Katerina." No matter how nice it sounds!

I slide off the barstool next to him suddenly realising how close we are. Oh heavens!

"But Katerina fits you," is all he says, as he leads me out on the dance floor, and then brings me closer, wrapping one arm around me, and setting my hands on his shoulders, before wrapping his other arm around me. I come up to his chin, and with my hands on his shoulders, I definitely know he is built. Then again, I am a bit close...to him. Once again he whispers in my ear. "Far to pretty to just be a Katie."

I feel myself shiver despite the renewed warmth in my cheeks. That accent, that voice...I can feel my cautious side kicking in. Wizards are only ever like this when they want something, and it's not hard to work out what. Too bad it didn't remind me of that fact before I agreed to dance with him.

"Thank you..." I try to start up conversation, anything to distract me from his eyes, his smile, his accent, how close together we are, but my brain seems to be repaying me for my foolishness and has abandoned me completely.

I have no idea what possessed me to slow dance with this witch.

I hardly dance in the first place. Slow dance I can do. But I hardly do it.

She feels good though. Smells good too.

I instantly feel everything inside me sort of go on alert and I do my best to tamp it down. My hands slide down a little more however as the slow music continues, and everything male in me, as I feel her body against mine, threatens to take over and take control.

No time for that sort of recreation though. Only for one nighters, and I'm not really the sort that does that. Besides I have another early day tomorrow. Training.

I move my hands back up, settling in her lower back. Fuck, she feels good.

An impulse runs through me, and giving in, I do one of the few dance moves I know. Even though they don't fit in a slow dance. I dip Miss Katerina Bell and then bring her back up.

She looks startled, and I felt her tense slightly as I tipped her back. She seems to have relaxed though now she's back in balance again.

"What did you do that for?" She asks, she sounds more puzzled, or curious, than irritated.

I shrug. "Because I wanted to." I settle her more against me as the song continues. I grin. "Problem?"


She opens her mouth as if she wants to say something and then changes her mind. Instead she shakes her head quickly. She really isn't used to dancing so close to a Wizard, something that surprises me a little considering her eagerness to dance earlier, but slowly she begins to relax a little more.

Wanting her to talk to me a little at least, and get my mind off doing something completly insane, as well as make her at ease around me (no fun slow dancing with a witch that's stiff) I bring up a safe topic. "You know my sister was disappointed you weren't at the Menagerie place a week or so ago."


"I'm sorry. I did consider owling her, but I wasn't sure where to send it. At least the assistant she disliked so much isn't there anymore. He got himself fired the day I left." There is a little amusement in her voice at this, and it seems to have done the trick getting her to relax. "If she'd prefer she can ask to buy the supplements and I can help administer it. I wouldn't mind."


We move a few paces. "Ah, she's fine now. The new one they hired did the job just fine." Nina didn't warm to her as easily though like I noticed with this witch. Unfortunately at that time I step on her toes and then quickly shuffle my feet to get back in order. "Pida mi perdón, Señorita," I say lazily, slipping into my Spanish roots and language.


I feel her shiver against me. "What...?" her voice sounds uncertain but at least she hasn't tensed up again. "I know 'señorita' and the occasional word but that's about it as foreign languages go."

I put my cheek against hers, and luckily enough another slow song starts. Not ready to release this one yet. I will, but not quite... yet. "I said Beg my pardon, Katerina Bell. Y bailará usted conmigo otra vez, a pesar de mi torpeza," I murmur again in Spanish. "That also means, And will you dance with me again, despite my clumsiness?"

She lets out a sigh of mixed emotions. Mostly, I think with satisfaction, irritation at being called Katerina, but she hasn't objected which is why I can enjoy victory in that one small battle.

She nods slowly. "You were doing well enough that I think one slip up can be forgotten, I've no doubt I'll do something far worse before the night is out."

Such as having me fall into her bed for a long night of... I mentally shake that thought of my head. No time. No time for it. Bloody fucking training. Keeping my thoughts on the slow music around us, I gently move the both of us around.

By the time the dance ends, I get a sense someone calling me and I look up and past Katerina Bell to see Vessina making a gesture. Then pointing to our table. Something's up.

I regretfully let go of my dance partner. "Ah, sorry to end this señorita, but a couple of friends have need of my attention." Giving into the urge, I grasp one of her hands and kiss her palm. Soft smooth skin. "I'll see if I can track you down for another dance before I leave tonight," I promise softly, and then make my way over to my group.

"Darko needs help getting home. Rassaman said he'll do it. Just give him a few minutes. Wait with her will you? I got to use the loo."

Great. Babysitting. When I could be with... I sigh. "Yeah, sure."

I watch him leave and head back to the bar, he's...interesting. At least now I know where that accent originates. Merlin, that accent! He's spanish, or at least partly, there's something else in there too. Ordering another drink as I have no intention of slow dancing with anyone else after the insane thoughts that last dance put into my head, I sit down to analyse what just happened. I know I might as well give up, some things just don't happen to me, and one of those things is slow dancing with strange Spanish Wizards whilst thinking of...I groan into my drink. I really shouldn't be thinking of that.

I find myself staring at my drink feeling almost uncomfortable, I don't want to be sitting down, sitting still. I feel like my guts are twisting themselves in knots as I think about him and I don't understand why. He seemed rather sure of himself when I saw him in the Magical Menagerie, and his insistance on 'Katerina' is infuriating! I'm really beginning to dislike this Wizard...and yet I find myself going into scarily detailed thought processes about doing that with him.

I'm not the sort of Witch who does that, and I'm not stupid enough to just trust a Wizard on first meeting, especially one that seems like a bit of a player, and yet we'd been dancing so close it would be so easy for him to get the wrong impression, and he said he would find me later, or at least try to. Damn! I shove back the barstool with such force I nearly knock it over. My Quidditch reactions kicking in just in time to catch it and set it right as I start to pace in what little space there is by the bar.

I turn back to the barman. "Do you..."

"Don't ask me Aqua, he's not a regular."

I frown. As possibly the only patron who doesn't drink alcohol in this bar I'd earned the nickname not long after I first came here.

"How the hell did you know what I was going to ask?!"

He looks amused, "You've been muttering to yourself since you stopped dancing." He explains.

I ignore him and turn back to where I saw Nicolas Poliakoff head off to. He's at a table with a Witch and a Wizard. The Witch looks rather...worse for wear. I feel a slight concern for her, but Nicolas stopped me being drugged so I'm fairly sure he would take care of a witch he apparently knew just as well if not better. The Wizard turns and heads for the restrooms leaving Nicolas watching over the drunken witch. Another Wizard approaches and lifts the witch to her feet steering her outside, I watch as Nicolas follows.

I sigh and turn back to my drink feeling slightly irked. It didn't look like he was coming back tonight, and if he wasn't a regular I wouldn't see him in here again. Shame. I swear and down my water as if it was something a good deal stronger. What is wrong with me? First I agree to dance with this Wizard, which I never have done with any Wizard before, and now I'm getting irratable because we won't dance again. I need to head home and make some sense of all this before I go completely insane.

I thank the barman and make my way outside to get a little fresh cool air before I Apparate home.

"Dammit, Darko," I hear a familiar growl. "Take the potion so that you don't get splinched Side Apparating with Rassaman."

I shudder slightly. Splinching is a nasty fate. I look around for the source of the problem. Nicolas is standing in the shadows with the very drunken witch. She's alot shorter than she appeared from a distance, but she's putting up quite some resistance. It's not your business, you don't know her, you don't even know him. I turn to walk away, slowly at first. Even if I don't know them, if there's trouble I'm not leaving a drunken witch to defend herself against two sober Wizards.

"Damn it Nicolas, you know I can kick your arse."

"Darko," the other wizard speaks up, "you want to tell Isabella why you can't participate in late training tomorrow?"

Silence..... A sigh. "Fuck, give it to me, Poliakoff."

I hear Nicolas laugh. "Here ya go."

"Shit, this stuff is rank!"

"Gets you sober enough to Apparate home."

"All right, Darko and I are on our way. Vessina shouldn't be too far behind. I don't know when you're coming back Nicolas, but don't take long."

"Right," I hear him drawl sarcastically. "I'll be there, don't worry."

I briefly wonder training for what before I shake the thought from my head. It's not my business, best to leave now while he's still distracted now the witch is sober...or at least less drunk. I start to walk further away, this is still muggle London and there are muggle clubs around here. I need to find somewhere more private to Disapparate home.

"Running away Katerina Bell?"

I freeze, swearing silently. "I wasn't running. I was walking." I point out trying to sound calmer than I feel around this Wizard.

I hear a few footsteps and he's standing next to me. "Well then, let me correct. Walking away Katerina Bell?"

"It's late. I was going home..." Why didn't I stay in the club where his affect on me was diluted by the presence of others?

"What about that dance I promised? I try to keep my promises." He grins.

Damn! "You looked a bit busy with your friends...I didn't want to bother you." I frown feeling myself get a little irritable. Why won't he let this drop?! "Besides I'm sure there are other witches for you to dance with." I almost gasp at my own daring, that came out alot ruder than it sounded in my head.

"Co-workers, not friends." He stills. "A mixture of both I suppose. And no on the other witches. But since you're not interested, and seem all intent on getting home... "

I watch him cautiously. What is he suggesting... "There will be other nights to dance Mr Poliakoff, nights when you don't have training the next day, so I suggest I not be alone in retiring for the night." I stop realising how that sounded. Not good! "I mean...you shouldn't be out so late...I don't know what training you have, but all kinds of training involve attention and focus and you won't be able to focus if you're completely hung over from the night before!"

Nicolas Poliakoff just stares at me. At first I think I rendered him speechless, then he gets closer to me, and puts his hand under my chin, tilting my head up until our eyes locked. "First off, Mr Poliakoff is my father. Just call me Nicolas. Second, Miss Katerina Bell, I have a pretty good tolerance of alcohol. So it'll take me a lot to get drunk. Third... is that concern I hear? And you hardly know me."

"You would be surprised what alcohol can do while you're being 'tolerant' of it." I snap. Why can't I pull back from him? He's not even holding me and I can't move back...I can't even look away! "And I don't have to know someone to not wish them harm." I should have left while he was still distracted with his co-workers.

Nicolas just smiles, and I feel his thumb rubbing my cheek. "So touchy, Katerina. But since you wish to go home, would you like an escort? It is late."

My temper flares. It wouldn't have done if he weren't making me so nervous, and using that name, after all it was a very kind offer.

"I can look after myself thank you. I don't need you acting as bodyguard, and your ego doesn't need the help! I'm not some helpless little witch who constantly needs some macho egomaniac looking out for me! How dare you! If you want to go play at macho games you can go find your friends! Although maybe no, that witch looked like she would have kicked your ass for being such a chauvenist bastard--"

"Katerina Bell, you talk too fucking much," Nicolas growls, wraps an arm around me and pulls me up against him. Before I can put in another protest, he shut's that up by kissing me... and hard.

I freeze, my heart is thumping so loud in my ears it's deafening. Oh... I think weakly as I give up the mental struggle against him and surrender. There's not much else I can do really, my brain seems to have abandoned me again.

What the hell am I doing?

Kissing her.

I wrap my other arm around her, bringing her tighter against me, as I continue to kiss her, taking pleasure in the fact that she's kissing me back.

Need to end this and walk away...

No I don't.

I feel one of her hands curl around my neck, and her other against my chest, her fingers curling into me. I move my hand down her back until I'm cupping her backside.

Fuck she feels good. I'm doing this.

Don't have the time. No time.

Just for one night.

What happened to the rule of no one night stands?

Exception to every rule

Fuck! Not doing this!

Needing to breathe, I move from those lips of hers and kiss her cheek, her jawline, my hand still cupping her backside, my other curled in her hair. I softly kiss her neck, and then move back up where I kiss those lips that were cursing at me earlier. "Think I should stop and go..." I say, trying to sound firm, but probably failing.

She nods in agreement but her arms grip a little tighter and she shows no sign of stepping apart from me, if anything her feet move a little closer, though her body is already pressed against mine as close as we can get.

"Probably a good idea..." she whispers before returning to the kiss.

"Let me take you home," I murmur, inbetween kisses. I was raised to be decent to witches... it does happen now and then.

I feel her tense sligthly and await the rebelion but it doesn't come. Instead she relaxes again almost instantly. "Okay, thank you." She sounds a little breathless.

"Walking or Apparation?" All I want to do is just continue kissing her, and a few other things that have popped up in my head, so I have no idea at all how I'm forming words.

"Um..." She blinks at me for a few seconds. Seems I'm not the only one having trouble with words.

"Apparation." She says eventually. "But it's a muggle area so we have to be careful."

"I don't know your location, Katerina." I do know where her ass is. In my hand. Does that count?

"Oh." She blinks again briefly and takes charge of the Apparation, transporting us to a muggle residential area, between two houses.

I'm not going to bother asking any of the questions that are popping up in my head. She kisses me again, getting more confident each time we kiss. We manage to move out from between the houses and into the drive way of the one on the left, but I'm not sure how. I feel her run one hand through my hair and even though she's technically home now she seems just as reluctant to let go as she had been back at the club.

Somehow in between long drugging kisses, we get to her place. Or her door more accurately. Not able to stop myself, I press her against it and just fit my body against hers, letting my hands roam on her curves, down her legs, sides... everywhere. Fuck she's got curves. She's got... so much...I start kiss her neck, pressing myself against her.

Despite myself, depsite my rule of no one night stands, of having no time for this, my body wants this.

Just this one time. Give in and have it, have her, take her...

She breaks away briefly, some sort of cognitive thought breaking through as she finds her wand and opens the door with it. Good, that's quicker than keys. Once we're inside and the door is shut she presses one finger to my lips briefly before we start kissing again on our way upstairs silently.

"I should really go..." I say in between kisses, my hands trailing down her legs...

FUCK NO!

"You probably should." Her words again agree with mine, her actions do not. I feel her hands trail down over my chest, delicately tracing the muscles I've developed over the past month.

Fuck being noble and leaving. I want this, and it's obvious she does as well. "Fuck the right thing," I growl. "Bedroom. Where is it?"

"Through there." She sounds slightly startled as she indicates a doorway, as if spelling out the obvious has made her only just realise exactly how this is going to end. She doesn't object, though she seems a little nervous.

What am I doing? I've gone mad or I'm going mad...no definately gone mad, but oh hell I want this! This is a big step for me, bigger than he realises. I'm not that comfortable even flirting with guys and this has gone rather past that. Even slow-dancing was a big step...one thing I've never done before...I've certainly never made out with a guy the way we just were...still are. If things keep going this way...and right now nothing short of the apocalypse could stop us, it's going to be a night for firsts, for me at least.

He lifts me up easily and I automatically wrap my legs around him, my arms around his neck. He carries me into my bedroom. So those muscles aren't just for show, I think giddily as I kiss him again.

He lowers me on the bed, and without stopping the latest, drowning kiss, I feel him undo the knot in my top, and it comes off. I feel a little exposed now... then again, I am. His kisses move downwards again, as I feel his hands cup my front. He doesn't stop going down, and then I feel his hands leave my front and down to my waist. My mind sort of goes off in another direction when I hear the snap, and feel the tugging.

Moments later I'm blushing, feeling... incredibly exposed. The bed dips, and soon he's leaning over me, bracing himself on his forearms.

"Your fucking gorgeous you know that?"

I blush harder and gulp, trying to make sense of the jumble of emotions and thoughts in my head. I've never thought of myself as particularly attractive. I was fit and healthy from Quidditch but compared with Alicia who looks like some kind of Arabian Princess, or Angelina the African Queen, I was just me. I have no idea how to respond to anything right now. His words, his actions, they all wash over me in powerful waves that excite and terrify me both at once.

"Thank you..." I manage to say, but it's a struggle. "This arrangement feels a little one sided..." I add nervously, not sure how he's going to react.

He grins. "Is it?" He closes the small gap between us. "Going to do something about it Katerina?" He drawls, rolling the r in his name for me.

I shiver, that name sounds so good. Hell anything sounds good in that accent. "I..." You're a Gryffindor damnit! Grow a backbone! "I think so yes."

I place my hands on his chest and loop my leg around his giving myself the leverage to tip him over so I'm on top now. Thank Merlin he isn't objecting yet or I'd never have the strength to wrestle with him with those muscles, I think.

I kiss him again before moving further down his body, starting with his shirt as he did with mine. I push the material up with my hands, trying to shut out crazy thoughts as I see his bare chest and stomach, perfectly toned muscle. I pause slightly seeing the odd patches of purple bruising, they look quite nasty but he doesn't seem to be in any pain from them. I bend down kissing up his chest, especially gently over the bruises. I carefully pull his shirt over his head and off his arms.

"Let me guess, I shoulda seen the other guy right?"

"You did. And it was the witch." He answers. "She hits VERY hard."

Somehow from what little I saw of the 4ft spit-n-a-dash witch he was with earlier this doesn't surprise me.

"What did you do to annoy her?" I ask with a grin as I move down his body again, unbuckling his jeans and slowly tugging them down. "There, that's a bit more fair." I declare, taking in every line of solid muscle on his body whilst trying not to blush again.

I'm about to move back up to kiss him again when I notice a scar down his right leg, stretching from his knee to his ankle. Before I realise what I'm doing I stroke my fingers gently up the full length of it, but I clamp my mouth shut before the question escapes. I move back up to eye level with him, I really am blushing now and quite obviously so.

"If you want to stroke me darlin, I can think of other parts of my body worth stroking," he says, his voice thick.

My mind freezes and once again I'm caught off guard by this Wizard with no way to respond. Automatically I move closer to him and kiss him again. It's either take the plunge...so to speak, or run...and I want this too much to run away now.

Nicolas then takes over, rolling me over onto my back and breaks the kiss, moving downwards. All I can feel at the moment is him pressing me down on the bed, his hands sweeping over my body, his mouth trailing downwards... my chest, my stomach... my legs...

"Love long legs on a witch," I hear him murmur.

The next few minutes go by in a hurry. Limbs and skin, mouths, hands...


Before I lose my entire sense of sanity, I grab my wand and discreetly cast a few charms on myself. I'm not going to ruin the moment by stupidly asking if she's safe, and most likely since she appears to be the constant club going type, she has her own safety charms in place.

I pull her even more under me, and before I turn into a Muggle like caveman, I wrap her legs around my waist, lean down to close any gaps between us. "Tell me your ready for me Katerina," I growl out.

She looks nervous and when she opens her mouth to reply no sound comes out. Instead she nods, trying to hide her nerves with a look of determination. It only half works.

That's all I needed.

I let out a long sigh, as the tension of the last few weeks seemed to be released just by being with this witch....and not going to think about why. I put my arm under her and hold her against me, moving slowly at first.

I hear her gasp quietly and feel her tense before gradually relaxing against me.

Soon she's moving with me, and everything just feels...

Fucking fantastic is all I can think. I adjust her legs a little, and she instantly tightens them around me, and curls her arms around my neck, bring me down and kissing me hard as we move together.

All semblence of normalcy, of slowness, of gentleness is slowly going out the window.

Slowly going out the window?

Fuck it's already gone.

I tighten my grip on her waist, making us move faster. The edge is almost there...I feel her tighten, her moans matching my own....

............

Who knew it would feel like fireworks?

I collapse against her, probably pinning her to the bed. I have no energy to move just yet.

"I'll move in a sec," I mutter.

I feel myself chuckle, although I'm not quite sure why. I haven't quite got the function back in my brain to understand, or care what he just said. Right now it just feels so good with him lying next to me, or rather on top of me as the world around me spins in a blur of colour and sound. I don't care about any of it.

"It's okay, I'm not being squished." I reasure him as I eventually make sense of what he said. I can't shake this ridiculous urge to smile. I nuzzle into him briefly, he smells so good, keeping my eyes closed. If I open my eyes normality might come back too soon. With them closed I can just let myself sink into the feeling of ecstacy and warmth that is surrounding me.

Nicolas rolls off me, and onto his back, pulling me with him. "There. Can breathe without killing you." His own words sound like it's taking a lot of effort to speak. I smile and settle down against him, my head on his chest.

For solid muscle he's surprisingly comfortable, I think, suddenly feeling drowsy. No wonder really I chuckle to myself, this was quite an energetic evening what with dancing and...well...what we just did.

One of his legs move over mine, trapping me somewhat, but not completelty, and his hand on my head softly strokes my hair. "Go to sleep if you want."

I nod against him, the hand stroking my hair feels so soothing it's almost hyptnotic. Before long I can feel sleep beckoning my into the dark abyss. Unlike most nights when I fight it as long as I can to avoid waking up screaming from nightmares of opal necklaces, tonight I let sleep take me.

(Couple hours later)

I awake with a start.

I shift slightly and then still as I realize I have a body pressed up against me.

A warm, female body...

I glance down to see the witch asleep. Katie Bell... or as I preferred to call her, Katerina.

I look to my right to see a clock. Two..three hours has passed. I fell asleep. After we had...

Great sex.

Yes it was. And I have two options.

Go back to sleep, and deal with the consequences in the morning.

Or treat this like a situation that I swore to myself I would never have.

Shit. I had a one night stand.

I need to leave, if for anything else but training. And I am not in the mood to have a ' I don't have time for something like this' talk. I doubt I'll run into her again any time soon, and if I do, hopefully it'll be a time when neither of us remembers this night.

Taking care not to wake her, I ease out from underneath her warm body, and resist the urge to get under the covers with her. She makes some sort of noises, but doesn't wake up. I quickly and quietly get dressed. I find my sandals in the hallway to her bedroom... must have slipped them off.

I go back inside and grab shirt, slipping it on. I take one last, long look at the lithesome blonde, Katie Bell, in her bed.

Well it's official. I've joined the rest of the male population.

Gorgeous witch, hell of an attitude from the few brief moments I spent with her, one hell of a night. Nothing more can come from it though. With that in mind, I make my way out of her flat and once outside, I shiver at the cold air, and instantly Apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. I can make my way to final destination from there.