A/N: Hello, lovelies. After much debate, I decided I want to keep going with this and see where it ends up. (It's as much a mystery to me as it is to you! I just happen to be one step ahead). Please read and enjoy!

Of Pondering and Persuasion

We spent the rest of the day talking about my art and how it has developed over the years, as well as Scorpius's work.

"Mum and Dad were a bit disappointed because I think they were set on me becoming a healer, like Dad. I think they were hoping that I only wanted to be an auror because of your family, which I won't deny as being the catalyst, and that I'd want to be a healer once you didn't show up. But I think that's the reason I just became more passionate about wanting to become an auror, I knew I needed to find you."

"Why were you so unable to leave the subject of me once you saw I wasn't coming back?"

"You were my addiction, Rosie. Or rather, the search for you was. It's like a parent who has lost a child; they never give up hope that one day they will find them. Only my love for you is that of a lover and partner, not parent and child," he smiled down at me.

…..

I had a lot to do around my little cottage if I was going to Al's party. I knew my family, even if I had been away for years they were not going to let me leave for a few days at least.

I cleaned whatever I hadn't already, made a list, and then went to go see Emily as she'd probably be worried about me. I dragged Scorpius into town with me and told him to go wander around as I talked to Emily and told her what had transpired.

…

"So you're just going back to him? Just like that?" Em asked incredulously after I explained what happened.

"It's not as simple and naïve sounding as you're making it seem, Em," I told her, without trying to look like a harassed cat.

"Rose! Listen to yourself! You were a mess for 7 years because he left you! HE left you!" she whisper-shouted at me, since we were in the middle of her shop.

"Em! I know! But you know how much more complicated it is than that! He knows now! He knows! And I'm not going into this blindly. I know what he can do to my heart, and it's going to take some time for it all to heal. But he knows that, and I don't think he wants to leave me again." I said, honestly.

She sighed, ran her hand through her hair, "Yeah, I got that," she grumbled out as she look pointedly at the front window. I looked to see what she was referring to. Scorpius was standing outside, looking at us anxiously with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I smiled softly and gestured for him to come join us.

As he sat next to me and kissed my cheek, giving me the flowers, Emily glared him as if he was a murder suspect.

"Hello, Emily," Scorpius greeted her cheerily. "I have to thank you for owning such a wonderful café. I wouldn't have found my most precious flower if it wasn't for you."

She blushed as she grumbled, "Don't remind me." I gave her a pointed stare, as if to say Play nice, please. She rolled her eyes at me, but nodded. That's what best friends do.

"My pleasure. But if you, in anyway, hurt Rose, I will not hesitate to cut your balls off. I might not have magic in me, but you can bet that I will succeed," Em warned him.

I just laughed heartily while Scorpius look scared for his life. I patted his leg, "She's just being my best friend, Scor."

After the warning and some small chat, Emily played nice with Scorpius, trying to put him at ease. He relaxed a bit but still looked at her skeptically. We discussed how I was leaving for a few days, with a guarantee to return and a request for her to watch after my house and few plants I had. She promised and then demanded the address of where I would be so she could hunt me down if I didn't return.

After giving in to her, we finished our little coffee date and I gave her my list of things that need to be done around the cottage while I was away, which just mainly consisted of watering my plants. She had a key to the cottage, she was my best friend after all. After a final hug goodbye and one last reassurance of returning, Scorpius and I left the café and made our way back to my cottage.

He held my hand the whole walk back and it felt as if this is the way it was always meant to be, it just felt right to let myself start feeling all these things for him again, no matter how guarded I would keep them.

Reaching my front porch, Scorp spun me in a circle and pulled me to him, wrapping his other arm around my waist as he started to sway us. I laughed as I laid my head on his chest and he started humming a tune I didn't recognize. "Scorp, what are you doing?"

"What we use to do that summer. Dance to our own music."

"But I don't know this song."

"It's an old American country song. Hugo's current girlfriend introduced it to me, since she moved over to London from the States. She said it was called Dancin' Away With My Heart, it reminded me a lot of us and made me want to find you even more."

I picked up my free hand as I traced a circle on his chest and let my eyes drift close as he continued humming, "Will you sing me some of it?"

He kissed the top of my head, "I can still feel my head on your shoulder, hoping summer would never be over. I haven't seen you in ages. Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are. For me you'll always be eighteen, and beautiful, and dancin' away with my heart."

My palm was against his chest, stroking the fabric of his shirt, as I let a few tears slip down my cheeks, which made Scorp notice. He pulled back slightly and looked at me worriedly as he brushed away the escaped tears.

"Rose, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked as he continued to stroke my cheek.

"I've just missed you so much and all that we had. That summer with you was my most favorite summer and I never regret any of it."

He put both his hands on either side of my face and looked deeply into my eyes. He slowly started to lean forward, never breaking eye contact. My eyes drifted close when his lips were less than a centimeter from mine. I felt him hesitate for a quick moment before pressing his lips to mine as he poured everything he felt into it. Every apology, regret, worry, joy in finding me, and the love he never let go of that was meant for me and me alone. I kissed him back with equal emotion. This didn't mean he was forgiven and he knew it by far, but it was the jump start we needed to be reminded that what we had here was something real and not to be let go of.

There was so much emotion between us that I started crying again. He pulled back, resting his crinkled forehead against mine, eyes still shut as if battling an inner demon, and gasping in a much needed breath. My crying was silent as I kept looking for his eyes to open. When they finally did and he saw that I was crying again, I saw his mask break completely, showing me the broken man Scorpius had become in my seven year absence.

"I don't know what I can do, Rose, or how long it will take, but I will never stop trying to make it up to you. I was such a fool all those years ago and I wish I hadn't let myself believe I wasn't ready to become something more with you. You have always been my other half and I'm so sorry that it took me this long to come back to you."

I just stroked his cheek, wiping away the tears, as he too had started crying. I shook my head, "I didn't know if I could ever forgive you for that pain. But the moment I saw you in the café, I knew that there wasn't any way that I'd be able to stay away from you any longer. I can never forget the pain of you leaving or losing our boy, but you're here now and it feels like the gap in my heart is finally being filled again."

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me as close to him as he could. We just stood there, holding each other, for what felt like hours.

"Rosie," Scorpius whispered in my ear as he rubbed my back. "It's already 8. You still have to pack up for this weekend and we have to get an early start tomorrow as I still have to go back to my flat for some better clothes."

I nodded and pulled him into the house. "Make yourself at home while I pack. It shouldn't take too long but it would be rather boring to watch me pack."

"Sure. I have to get a vase and water for your flowers anyways. Where do you keep your vases?"

"Um, the bottom cabinet of the buffet table," I called down to him as I got a small weekend bag out of my closet and then proceeded to stand in front of my closet internally debating on what to wear at the party tomorrow.

….

Ten minutes later, Scorpius found me in my room with what looked like a mini-tornado of clothes around me as I pulled out yet more clothes from the bag that I had just put them into. "No, no. This won't do," I let out a frustrated sigh as my eyes started to water from feeling overwhelmed. "I can't go. I'm not going. They don't even want to see me, who am I kidding. They're going to resent me for just showing up out of the blue. I can't do this," I was muttering to myself as the anxious tears started to spill over, unaware of Scorpius behind me.

He rushed to put the vase down on my bed side table and gathered me into his arms as he hushed me and started to stroke my head.

"Rose," he whispered into my hair. "They are your family. Of course they're going to be surprised, but they aren't going to hate you. If there is one thing I know about the Weasleys, it's that they love their family above everything else."

"I can't do it, Scorp. I'm not ready. They're going to shun me for running out 7 years ago. And then when they find out about the baby," I moaned. "You're leading me to the slaughter."

"Rose," he tilted my face up to look at his. "If anything, they're only going to embrace all the more. They don't want to lose their little girl again. At most, they're probably going to slaughter me."

That thought made me chuckle. "This is no laughing matter, Rose. They seriously might kill me."

"Don't worry, I'll defend you. I can't have my only chance at a family dying on me too early."

He stilled beneath me at my words. I looked up at him to see utter shock on his face and started to back away, fearing I had said the wrong thing. But his arms wrapped tightly around me as his lips came crashing down around mine.

After pulling back and letting me catch my breath after being so unexpectedly assaulted with his kiss, he stared into my eyes and breathed out, "Do you actually mean that? You aren't just messing with me?"

"Well I said it in a joking manner, but I meant in all seriousness. I mean, my family almost started with you, and I want to give it the chance that it never really got." I noticed a gleam in his eyes, a very familiar gleam that I hadn't been able to forget after all these years. "Scorp, don't even think about starting to try tonight. While I have readily forgiven you and am beyond cloud nine having you back, I'm still not ready to go there just yet. Not even if your life might very well be lost tomorrow."

He continued beaming, "I know, Rosie. But thank you for giving me hope. It's something that I've been worrying about for a very long time, if you would take me back and give me the chance at a future for us. Now, let's get you all packed up and ready to go."

I gave him a soft smile and picked out a few things that would work for the weekend and packed up my makeup bag and other such things that I might need.

"Ok, I think that that's everything," I say as I take one last look around my mess of a room, determine I don't need anything else, and wave my wand to clean up the rest of my mess that was left behind. "I think we are ready to go."

Scorpius smiled while taking my suitcase in one hand and my hand in the other as he led the way down my stairs and out my backdoor. We both took once last glance at my cozy cottage before I leaned into him and tightened my grip. "Hold on tight, and don't let go."

And then we apparated away from all I had known for the past 7 years back to the place I used to call home.

A/n: It's here! So sorry it took so long, but I wasn't sure how to end this chapter. I hoped you liked this continuation. Please Review! Makes me very happy!

~Swimmer