Pairing: R/T (Think about the sweetest, loveliest, eternally best pairing there is in HP - What do we get? Exactly...)
Rating: T ('cause I'm not sure, better be safe...)
Warning: Some grammatical constructions may just make you want to run for your life. (Being German, people running away from you is not as funny as it sounds, really... -.-) Other than that: Fluffiness? Oh Merlin, a whole lot of it, I think!
Length: about 5,490 words ('cause yeah, I couldn't help myself. Again...)
Disclaimer: Shush! Be quiet! Do not let it go any further but I found out where JKR keeps the rights of HP. ;D It's somewhere deeply hidden in Gringotts! You just have to break in but hey, we all know how to do that after the seventh book, right? Oh, but I can't seem to remember which brick to tip first to even get into Diagon Alley... Bugger. Huh? No wait, what're you doing? NO, don't go without me! NOOOOO!
Summary: It was the beauty of things, the flawlessness of her life, the lights in the sky, the fire not three feet away, the boy in the next room, the man in her heart. In any case, she couldn't help but think that life... Life truly was... - Well, Tonks seems to have some difficulties describing her life as a mother and wife. But honestly speaking, she already knows the perfect word... (Just for the record: It's Christmas Eve in the fic - because I love Christmas!)
Beta: I always wondered - Can you beta your own fics? No wait, you could only alpha your own fics, right? Huh, whatever... (means: no beta in sight. Sorry...)
Author's Notes: (If you don't want to hear me ranting, please just skip this part!) You wouldn't believe how long I've needed to write this little piece of... boring, unworthy of uploading something. I probably rewrote and changed it about 15 times, not that that helped that much. And I did promise to myself I wouldn't start ranting about it but... Sorry. I'm a bit downhearted lately. Nothing seems to flow, every little bit I write is just horrible and... you know, the usual, life sucks. Merlin, I did indeed rant now, didn't I? Keeping promises is not one of my strongest qualities. And to top all that: I beg you (down on my knees!) to please read it anyway and don't judge by my self-critical attitude. I sometimes have those waves of pessimism, they'll go away (one day, hopefully). Well, enough of that now, please still have fun reading the little fluffy piece...
OoOoOoOoO
Life
Tonks stood in front of the window, gazing outside into the night, lost in thought. It was new moon and someone far away was shooting fireworks to the sky, their explosions lightening the darkness in a burst of colours – blue, green, red, yellow, then blue again. Tonks smiled to herself, shaking her head slightly at the oddity of this.
Her eyes caught upon a single snow flake and she watched as it made its way to the window sill outside, melting into a tiny pool of water that glistened with colours every time a new firework was set off into the black midnight sky. She reached a hand to her hair, absent-mindedly twirling a pink lock between index and middle finger, all the while watching the spectacle in front of her eyes with slight amusement and a touch of disbelief. Her other hand pressed itself to the cold glass of the window almost on its own accord as if trying to get through, touch the lights of the fireworks emitting their beautiful colours into heaven, joining each other, melting together. And quite suddenly, her heart swelled with bliss, happiness and exhilaration all at once, an almost painful combination yet so real and true at the same time, so wonderful that she wouldn't have wanted to feel anything else ever again. Because in this very moment, here and now, at present, everything seemed so right to her, so utterly right, she could barely explain why. It was the beauty of things, the flawlessness of her life, the lights in the sky, the fire not three feet away, the boy in the next room, the man in her heart. It was a thousand things, and many more. Yet in any case, she couldn't help but think that life…
Life truly was...
A surprising yet pleasant shiver ran down her spine as she felt two strong hands wrap around her slightly rounded stomach and a chin settled itself gently on her smooth pink hair that was falling down her shoulders in curls and locks, making her look incredibly young in the process. She smiled to herself and led her hands to cover the ones of her lover's, guiding them over her belly while her head fell back against his chest and she let out a deep sigh. He felt warm, as always, and she loved the way they seemed to fit into each other, always had, completely, thoroughly – her smile widened – eternally…
They stayed this way for a moment, revelling in the warmth they gave each other, greedily drinking in the feeling of security and safety they provided each other with. It was not before another couple of bursts from the fireworks outside coloured the sky that Remus spoke, his voice low and a bit hoarse, the way Tonks had always known and treasured it:
"Happy New Year, love" he said, the sound of it reverberating through her body in delightful little waves. Tonks frowned slightly, hearing her husband chuckle at himself and his ridiculous words and she tilted her head upwards to look at him. He lifted his chin and watched her from above, smiling this beautiful smile of his.
"It's not New Year, Remus, it's Christmas" she told him in earnest mingled with slight amusement and gave him a crinkle of her nose and a feigned determined look. His smile grew even wider, more adorable if possible, and he removed one of his hands from her stomach to point with a long finger to the window, outside at the fireworks spreading blues and greens and reds all over the sky.
"Look" he said and, still frowning but feeling a smile tuck at the corners of her lips, she followed his lead and locked her eyes onto the unmistakable, never-ending strings of lights as he settled his chin on her right shoulder instead. "Then why are they setting off fireworks already?"
Not waiting for her to answer, he planted a tender a kiss on her neck, then a second and a third, burying his head there when she started to snigger, his slight stubble scratching her sensitive skin in a most adorable way. She knew he did this on purpose, to keep her from contradicting his words. It was always hard keeping train of thought when he did these things to her, said something horrendously ridiculous one second and kissed her the next to keep her from answering. He loved playfully distracting her while they were having light conversation, while she tried hard to focus on replying something witty or reasonable even, and she wouldn't realise until later that he had won, again, and she had lost their little battle of wits as she always did. And she just never failed to surrender, not with his lips on hers – or anywhere for that matter.
"Nuts… probably…" she managed to get out and then sighed deeply when he began trailing kisses from her neck to her shoulder, slipping down a strap of her satin nightgown in the process. Her fingers tightened over his, lightly squeezing them though she didn't even notice. She could tell her mind was already slipping away, far away from where it should be, and ruthlessly abandoning her with every new contact his lips would make with her skin. Her head leaned slightly against his, unable to support its weight much longer while rational thought was swept away by the sensation he caused. She could hear him chuckle, his low voice sending shiver after shiver through her body. Oh Merlin…
"Really?" he asked her between kisses, his tone rather teasing, amusement evident in it though she was beginning to leave the state in which she could successfully discern these things. He was tracing fairly intoxicating patterns now from her shoulder back to her neck, stopping at her earlobe to nibble on it as his hands gripped her waist and he pulled her firmly yet gently against his chest. She almost started to giggle, feeling so nervous all of a sudden which was indeed amusing considering that this man, after all these years, could still make her feel so – excited might be the word – only by the way he touched her and whispered in her ear, teased her and appreciated her at the same time, loved her and told her so. She wondered for a moment if she could ever feel more wanted than right now…
"You know…" she muttered, albeit a bit breathlessly, and closed her eyes at the next couple of kisses he planted on her neck once more. "The youth today… pretty weird… totally" she stopped, unable to stifle a moan when she felt one of his hands slip under her nightgown, grazing just slightly her thigh but it was more than enough to make her heart skip at least four beats. Which, she thought idly, seemed to attribute to the word dangerous, one of his favourites still, a whole new meaning: She might just die from sensual overload one day.
Tonks tried hard to focus, bring her mind back on the topic.
"Totally" she started again to finish her sentence, stopped again to remember words, any at all, which must have been temporarily abandoned from her mind that wasn't even there itself anymore. "So totally… er… young… peculiar… something…"
"You don't say" Remus chuckled lowly, another kiss on her neck making her skin prickle with excitement. Her whole body was covered in tingles by now, the way only he could make it happen, and finally she lost all patience and reached her right arm behind to wrap around his head and then turned to kiss him, tangling her fingers in his smooth hair. His lips were wonderfully soft against hers, moving deliberately, the way she loved it, and she sighed into him, her blood speeding through her veins in euphoria she knew could only be brought forth by him and no one else.
It was this moment she thought, realised, that nothing could be more perfect than this, being here with Remus, her husband, the man she loved and would always love. Standing wrapped around each other in front of a fire crackling its way in the background slowly and soothingly, the Christmas tree decorated to the brim next to the sofa at the far end of the small living room, shining beautiful in all the different colours that would now and then lighten up, and the fireworks outside bursting into the sky, making stars fade away under their blazing explosions. This one moment and she could swear that all the forces of the universe locked in place, fit together just the way they, she and Remus, fit together – and it felt so bloody right.
When Tonks broke the kiss she locked eyes with her husband for a second, almost bursting with joy upon seeing the same strong love she felt for him glistening in his beautiful grey eyes that lingered on hers. She smiled, a bit sheepishly, and he smiled back, more than pleased, and she sighed as she turned to look outside again, taking his hands to wrap around her slightly rounded stomach once more, a feeling of complete happiness and security filling her. He buried his head in the back of her neck this time where her pink locks and curls would make contact with her skin and inhaled her scent, making her shiver in the process when she felt his breath tickle her.
"I love you" she whispered, quite simply, and a smile claimed her face, her eyes watching the lights outside burst and fade but her mind only with her dearest. Remus withdrew his hands to put them over hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze before he answered.
"I love you, too" he breathed into her neck and she could feel his smile as he planted yet another kiss on her skin, giving her goose bumps while a pleasant chill ran down the whole of her back. Tonks closed her eyes for a moment, the colours from the fireworks still visible through her eyelids - blue, green, red, yellow, and blue again. Beautiful, she thought, and took a deep breath. Not beautiful...
Perfect.
She wanted to memorise this moment, desperately memorise every feeling, every little sensation her husband's lips on her skin would cause, his kind loving words in her ear would promise her. It was not as if she was ever going to lose these memories, she hoped, but she couldn't stop herself from indulging into this habit of hers every once in a while, willing herself to save and lock every sentiment in her heart, every day of her wonderful life she remembered as a mother and wife of Remus John Lupin. She could only describe these moments of utter bliss with one word though she sometimes wondered if it really was enough to grasp the wonderful entity her life had become. Probably not.
A feeble cough was audible, jolting her out of her thoughts, and both Tonks and Remus turned in unison to look in surprise at the entrance to the living room from where the sound had come from. A small boy of five years stood there, his hair ruffled and glistening turquoise in the dim light scattered around the room by the fire. She could feel Remus' arms slowly release her from his tight embrace and he walked over to the boy and lifted him up to carry him in his arms.
"Shouldn't you be asleep already?" he asked amusedly, smiling at the small boy and tapping his nose with one finger. Teddy sniggered at the contact, trying to grasp his father's finger with one and scratching his nose with the other hand. His eyes looked tired as he rubbed them wearily and unsuccessfully stifled a yawn at the same time.
"I couldn't sleep. I was so excited about Christmas" he murmured in his drowsy yet sweet childish voice and gave his father a somewhat expectant look. Remus chuckled, ruffling his turquoise hair, and then walked over to his wife with their son in his arms, the child gripping his father's jumper firmly for hold. As they approached, Tonks gave Teddy a tender kiss on his right cheek and smiled at him while he rubbed his tired eyes yet again. She shook her head slightly at the small boy and his incapability at failing to surprise her. She should have expected him to leave his bed and want to open his presents right after midnight, he was her son after all and had apparently inherited her thorough lack of patience.
"But Santa hasn't been here yet" she told him with feigned seriousness, raising her eyebrows at him. Teddy's tiny mouth fell into a pout as he started fiddling with a loose thread on his father's jumper and then tried unconsciously, or probably very consciously, to use his puppy-eyes-look on his mother, a silent plea evident in his eyes. Remus and Tonks threw each other a knowing smile, both shaking their heads at their son.
"You know, he actually stopped by when mummy was in the bathroom but he told me not to let you open your presents too early" said Remus, resting his forehead against his son's. Teddy's eyes suddenly started to glisten in anticipation, his mouth curving up into a grin. Now he was up to something, Tonks thought and didn't need to wait long to find out.
"Can I have one now? Please? Just one?" Teddy asked hopefully and looked from one parent to the other, his voice sweet and appealing. Tonks threw her husband a brief look and upon seeing him nod slightly she turned back to her son, shook her head once more in amusement and then stretched out her arms to take him. She silently walked over to the couch and sat down, propping up the hopeful boy to sit on her lap while Remus followed, hands in his pockets, and joined them. Teddy still looked appealingly from his mother to his father, waiting for the eventual resignation and Tonks, her resistance actually already broken down, brought a hand to her chin and feigned thoughtfulness for a second.
"Hm… If you promise us not to tell Santa, then maybe we'll give you one present already tonight. Although you have to go to bed again after you opened it, all right?"
Teddy's eyes lightened up instantly and a large smile spread across his sweet chubby face as he nodded eagerly. Tonks couldn't help a grin herself. No wonder she never succeeded in refusing her son anything – when he looked at her with these eyes and that glimmer in his face – she had long ago thought that he resembled his father far too much. Which, she noted as well, would never fail to make her weak in some way.
"Well, you know our motto then" Remus told the small boy with a wave of his hand, a sign for him to move on. Teddy nodded again and his eyes started to go up to the ceiling in deep thought as he quoted, his head tilting up and down with every word he said:
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
He looked perfectly pleased with himself when he had finished the sentence, his eyes on his father seeking for approval and a smile of triumph on his little face. Remus grinned widely at his son while Tonks shot her husband a mock-glare but couldn't stifle a snigger still. She had the feeling that Teddy would grow up being as much a Marauder as his father had been. Well, if she thought about it, Remus still was a true Marauder – nothing she would ever want to change though.
She watched him as he stood up and went over to the Christmas tree, kneeling down and searching under it for a present. He needed a moment, seemingly lost in contemplation, but then Tonks saw him smile to himself, quite mischievously though it was hard to tell from her point of view, and he withdrew a flat, square package from the left of the tree wrapped in red and gold paper. A single card had been magically attached, reading:
Dear Teddy,
Merry, merry Christmas to you and your family and a happy New Year,
From your godfather Harry and his beautiful wife
PS: Wish you fun with it. Your dad knows how it works…
Teddy eyes lightened up with excitement upon seeing his first present this Christmas, his hair turning suddenly from turquoise to a bright shade of pink, and he eagerly grabbed the package from his father's outstretched hand, thanking him three times. He unwrapped it greedily, throwing the paper to the floor in the process, and an old, blank piece of parchment was revealed which he began eying curiously. He folded it open but nothing was there to be read, he turned it around but no writing could be seen. Teddy frowned slightly and held the parchment in his hands, shaking it as if believing that something would fall out of it, but nothing happened still. His face fell in disbelief and he turned first to his mother, then to his father in search for an answer to his problem. Remus chuckled quietly.
"What's this?" Teddy asked doubtfully, making a slightly disappointed face as he regarded his seemingly too ordinary present once more. Tonks tilted her head in scepticism and looked at the parchment, frowning herself for a moment until realisation took over and her eyes widened.
"Merlin, Remus, that's not…?"
She locked eyes with her husband, asking a silent question. He smiled back, answering equally silent. Tonks' eyes went back to the parchment, she almost couldn't believe it. Why would Harry send this to Teddy now?
"How does it work, daddy?" asked the little boy, watching his father with slight anticipation, seemingly in hope for something further to happen with his still uneventful gift. Remus settled down on the sofa next to his wife and son once more, their eyes following his every move all the while, both waiting for an answer.
"Yeah, daddy, tell us how it works" Tonks mirrored her son's request and looked at her husband with a cheeky smile, her voice lilting with amusement. She couldn't help herself. She loved teasing Remus, always had, though this was a mutual gesture she knew he would return eventually. Not that she would mind at all, of course, since humour still proved to be one of their strongest bonds between each other - and she certainly wouldn't have it otherwise.
"Well" Remus began and took the parchment from his son, eyeing it with quite some interest, a crinkle on his forehead. "I'm not sure whether I should tell you already. It seems the right time has yet to come."
Despite his father's gentle smile, Teddy's face fell again into a pout. It was obvious now that he had expected much more from his first Christmas present. Tonks was about to protest, too, but stopped when her eyes caught upon the clock attached to the wall. It was already half past twelve, much too late and therefore time for little Teddy to get back to bed immediately.
"Come now" she told him while she took him under his arms and stood up with some difficulty. "We have to get you to bed now or your dear grandmother will hex us into oblivion for being too late for dinner tomorrow."
"But I wanted to know what it does" Teddy murmured sullenly, his face showing his disappointment quite well. Tonks kissed him once more on his cheek, stroking his hair gently in an attempt to make up for the uneventful present. She made her way towards the door while Remus walked up behind and the three of them left the living room and entered Teddy's room instead.
"I'll tell you how it works when you're old enough" Remus told his son as Tonks lay him down on his bed and tucked him underneath the sheets. Teddy's pout didn't quite fade but he nodded apprehensively.
"And tomorrow, I mean today, when you wake up, we'll see what else Santa brought you, okay?"
Tonks smiled kindly at her son, her hand stroking his now turquoise hair once more. He nodded again, then yawned deeply and his eyelids slowly fell. Both Tonks and Remus backed out of the room as quietly as they could, stopping at the entrance to cast one last glance at the sleeping form of their beautiful little son. Tonks arms encircled her husband's waist almost on their own accord and they stood there for a second, both lost in thought. As Remus drew her close and kissed her temple, she couldn't help but think about life again and the word she had chosen to describe it. It seemed insufficient still but she supposed that nothing else could come close enough…
They returned to the living room in silence and settled down on the sofa together. Tonks brought her feet to rest on the couch as Remus put an arm around her and pulled her close while she nestled her head against his shoulder. She let out a little sigh.
"He seemed a bit disappointed, you know" she said, one of her hands absent-mindedly fiddling with the same loose thread on her husband's jumper that Teddy had been fiddling with before. She knew her son didn't understand his gift yet but she wanted for him to be happy still. Remus tilted his head to rest it on her forehead, his left hand reaching up to stroke her cheek softly.
"He'll appreciate the gift one day, I'm sure."
Tonks sighed again, smiling to herself as she felt the well-known warmth claim her body from head to toe once more. She looked down at herself and put a hand on her rounded stomach, trying to feel the life growing underneath though she knew quite well that she wouldn't be able to, not yet. Still she felt so happy and couldn't help but wonder for a moment. Was life really this perfect? Or had she just had too much luck up until now? Because otherwise, however could she have met this wonderful man in the worst of times, a war raging around them, tearing everything apart, and fallen in love with him while fortune had smiled on her, making him fall in love with her in return? However could she have been so lucky to get pregnant in war, still survive and built up this amazing family with the man she loved? Could life really be this perfect at all?
It wasn't until she heard rustles and felt Remus lean slightly to the other side and then back that she snapped out of her musings and looked up again, seeing that he had taken the parchment in his hands once more.
"This brings back memories…" he whispered thoughtfully, more to himself than her, while his eyes rested on Teddy's gift as if searching for something that wasn't there or Tonks couldn't quite see. It was difficult to read his expression in the dim light of the fire but she thought she saw him smile, a rather wistfully sad smile. He let one finger trail deliberately over the parchment, then murmured something and words appeared, gradually forming a sentence:
Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present the Marauders Map.
Tonks eyed the parchment curiously for a moment, never really having seen it before, only heard of it from what Remus and Sirius had told her. But this piece of seemingly old dusty paper must have seen much more in its life than many others ever could have seen in theirs or ever will. She thought about the numerous times Remus and his friends must have used it to sneak out of Hogwarts, explore the grounds, do their mischief. It was a picture she could barely imagine, knowing that words could only scarcely describe whatever these four original Marauders had experienced together. She sometimes wished she could've been there, could've seen what he had seen, joined him in these wonderful days when war hadn't even been anywhere near as to penetrating an innocent child's mind. But then again, she might have not survived the first war if she had already been there with him…
Upon reading the names on the map Tonks recognised her husband's former nickname and pointed a finger to where it said "Moony".
"There's you, Remus" she said, a grin forming on her face that she couldn't resist. "And Sirius as well. Merlin, I liked Snuffles much more." They both chuckled as she let her finger wander over the map, touching each name once. "Oh, and James, too. And that piece of scum you always used to hang out with" she added disgustedly, stopping at "Wormtail". Remus grinned for a moment before he went back to looking at the map with melancholic reminiscence in his eyes. Her smile faltered as well and she regarded him. She wanted to say something but didn't quite know what - nothing seemed to fit.
"It's been too long" Remus whispered before she could come up with anything at all, tapping on the map with his fingers, making a little rhythm out of it. With a heavy sigh he folded the parchment together again while murmuring another phrase she couldn't quite understand. He laid the now once more blank and seemingly ordinary map next to him on the desk and turned back to his wife.
"That's… in the past" he said hoarsely, quite simply, and smiled again, that wistful sad smile of his. Tonks looked at him indecisively for a moment, wondering now if she even could say anything at all that would sound reassuring or encouraging. The seconds seemed to stretch and her mind didn't seem to be able to come up with any sort of answer. So instead, she settled for smiling back.
As it was, she didn't want to think too much about the past anymore herself, because she knew that all these things indeed lay in the past but not the pain that had been evoked by it and neither the tears that had been shed for it. Nothing would ever truly be forgotten, though she wouldn't want to forget anything, couldn't for the life of her and for those who had lost theirs. Time neither healed wounds on the outside nor on the inside. Scars remained, deeply hidden in skin and soul. She herself was a child of war, lined by what she had experienced in these years when only hope had kept them alive. No, she would never forget, always know, always try and remember in some way, but she had learned to live with it nonetheless, learned to appreciate life and the certainty of a future for this was a promise she held dearly in her heart and many others hadn't even had the chance to do so.
They stayed in mutual silence for some time, Tonks thoughtfully watching the fire crackle slowly and gradually, the light fading more and more with every minute passing by, the bursts outside having died away seemingly hours ago.
But she was happy. Still. She lived, she loved – Merlin, she was so incredibly happy. She had a wonderful job, adorable friends, a loving husband, an amiable son and a without doubt beautiful baby that was yet to come. Any she couldn't help but be happy about that instead of feeling guilty for it. After all, she thought, she might have chosen the right word for it, for her life, because there was none other which could describe it any better…
"Why do you think Harry sent Teddy the map?" Tonks asked all of a sudden, breaking the silence in an attempt to lighten up the mood and stir her husband's and her own thoughts away from the past and its fearsome phantoms. "Does he think it more belongs to him or…?"
She trailed off, looking at Remus with a frown as she waited for his answer. His eyes darted up to the ceiling for a moment and then found hers again, a grin forming on his face that lightened up his features instantly and she found it much too adorable.
"I'm afraid he wants our little son to become a true Marauder… just like him."
Tonks contemplated for a second, then raised an eyebrow at her husband in disbelief.
"You mean just like you" she corrected and then perfectly mirrored his grin in return. She shifted upwards to give him a kiss, because she felt she couldn't not, but stopped an inch from his lips. "Which, by the way" she added in a matter-of-fact voice "is quite fine with me since he already looks like you and everything."
She flashed Remus a cheeky grin and didn't bother to wait for his reply but simply brushed her mouth over his, giving him a soft kiss. When she pulled away he was smiling at her, albeit an eyebrow of his was slowly making its way under his fringe.
"Really? You want our son to be a Marauder?"
Tonks rolled her eyes at her husband, taking his left hand and placing it on her stomach as if that would make her point clear.
"Teddy was born a Marauder, darling, I don't think we can do much about that. But this little girl" she lightly tapped her belly with his fingers "is going to be the quiet one. You have to have both kinds of kids, don't you think?"
She beamed at him, thinking that for once she had won their little battle of wits, but still he continued to keep his eyebrow in its uncommon place right under his fringe.
"A girl?" he asked curiously, amusement mingled with slight surprise in his voice. "You already know the sex?"
"Mother instinct" she exclaimed instantly, with determination and a proving nod. "We already have a boy, so second one has to be a girl." She frowned, thought for a moment, then smiled to herself. "Hm… third one can be a boy again, I reckon… if you like."
She watched with pleasure as the other eyebrow joined its partner under Remus' fringe and he was giving her a look of utter bewilderment. She knew he hadn't expected that but she hadn't been able to restrain herself – it was too adorable to see him get flustered. She shifted away from his shoulder and settled herself on his lap instead, straddling one leg on either side of him before she threw her arms around his neck and flashed him a wide grin.
"What, did you think we'd stop already at two?" she asked in a mock-reproachful voice. "I want three. At least. Or four, five maybe, we'll see."
She bit her lip against laughter, knowing in the back of her mind that she actually wasn't joking at all. If she thought about it honestly, she wanted a whole bunch of kids. She imagined that they would all look like Teddy, therefore like his father, so exactly like Remus and Merlin, she might just do the world a hell of a favour with that, wouldn't she?
Tonks started toying with the hair on the back of Remus' neck, eliciting a shiver from him which she was all too satisfied about. His hands came to rest on her stomach once more as he began lightly tapping on it with his fingers, again almost rhythmically.
"So… a girl?" he repeated, meeting her eye sheepishly though she knew it was more teasing than anything else.
"Yup" she said, smiled and then bent down to kiss him. He pulled her closer to him, his fingers touching her waist and caressing their ways to her back. "A beautiful, sweet girl" she whispered joyfully against his lips, light-headedness already searching and finding a path to her mind, trying to make it near impossible for her to focus much longer and the sensation of pleasant, hot tingles claiming her body again. She could feel him smile as he trailed a path of kisses along her jaw to her neck and stopped at her collarbone. She sighed.
"I hope she's going to look like you" he told her, pulling away for a moment to meet her eyes, smiling rather teasingly. She was surprised for a moment but quickly adjusted herself and shot him a wide grin as an answer, thinking that she wouldn't mind their daughter to look exactly like him, even if she was a girl. Although she felt more than pleased that he would rather want their daughter to look like her, which, she noted, would only mean that he thought of her as beautiful. She shifted closer, tightening her arms around his neck and he pulled her into a firm embrace, his head buried just above her collarbone, her cheek resting against the side of his forehead. Oh Merlin…
She loved this. And just how much she loved this! It was indescribable, almost unbelievable if she thought about it. It was life, however, she knew this, and not just any life but her life, a wonderful life with a husband and a son and soon a daughter as well. She couldn't help but be proud of herself, proud of the many paths she had taken that had led her all the way up to this point where she sat upon Remus' lap, engulfed in his tight embrace, feeling loved and loving herself, their son sleeping in the next room, their daughter growing steadily in her stomach. And she knew now that nothing could come closer to describing this than precisely one word. She wondered idly why she had ever questioned it.
To her, life was nothing else but perfect.
OoOoOoOoO
Perfect? It would be much too perfect if you would leave me a review! Please please, I really need some cheering up right now! (And constructive criticism does count as cheering up, too.)
Like I said, I worked on this fic sorta long and it still came out... well, I don't know, but it's not what I wanted it to be, that's for sure. It doesn't flow right, or at all, if you ask me and it's a bit boring, too. And it does certainly not - hard to describe that - send one's heart floating over the moon? Because, in my opinion, that's what a fluffy fic should do! Bear with me, it's late and I'm not sure I'm thinking that straight anymore...
The scene with Teddy? True story, people! Sorta. I think I was about six and it was the night before my birthday. I was so excited I couldn't sleep and so I joined my parents in the living room. It wasn't after midnight but they still let me open one present already! So nice, really. And I still remember what it was: A Mrs. Potts (from Beauty and the Beast) that you could make soap bubbles with (hence the liking for soap bubbles!). You have no idea how much I loved it! Ah yes, childhood days were beautiful, weren't they?
Now that that fic's done ('cause it's been haunting me for days) I can finally attend all the others I have in mind (especially the next chaps to Christmas Mischief and Because it's yours... - which I'm sorry about for not having updated yet! I'm quite slow at the moment and the self doubts are gnawing at my inspiration...)
One thing still: I'll just go dedicate this fic to The Savior of the Broken since she somehow got me into thinking about AU fics and everything with her story The Day After Full Moon. Read it if you have the time! (It certainly proved to be some sort of inspiration for me... not that that is enough without writing skills!) Oh and sorry to her since I dedicated such an unworthy, boring fic to her. (I'll make it up to you one day when my muse has been visiting me again, okay? -schwöre hochheilig-)
So people, send your hearts floating over the moon (if not by this fic, certainly by other wonderful fics!); see ya und tschüß