Author's note: If I am correct, this chapter falls in at about chapter 23 in Dear Harry.
You're Mine
Remus Lupin stared down at the tiny hand resting atop the deep purple duvet draped across his chest. The little fingers were slightly curled under, hiding short, neatly trimmed, unpolished fingernails, a tiny platinum band wrapped around the ring finger. He had put a lot of thought into that ring for it to be such a simple thing. It sat carefully nestled in his pocket for three months, even during the time they were apart. Ever since New Years, when he had proposed without really thinking, and she had told him she couldn't. He had understood, had even been somewhat relieved at the time. Now though, when he thought about it, he wished she hadn't been so afraid of the commitment then, maybe it would have prevented their split. Probably not, but maybe.
Not that it mattered, now anyway, she was his. Every bit of her. And that simple little ring proved it. Lucy Lou Lupin. She was his.
He turned his gaze from the hand to its owner, her head nestled in the crook of his arm, eyes closed, sandy blonde hair spread out across her bare back where the covers had been pushed down. A smile tugged at his lips as he gently brushed away the few strands of hair resting on her cheek. She mumbled incoherently in her dreams as his fingers grazed across her skin and the corners of his mouth lifted into a full smile.
His gaze returned to the little hand on his chest, deciding to let her sleep a bit longer, thinking maybe he should fade back into it himself. It had been such a long time since he'd slept, after all. He didn't get a chance to, however, as she seemed to have felt his quiet observation and stirred slightly, languidly bringing that tiny hand forward and caressing his cheek. "G' Orning, Moon hee," she murmured sleepily, lifting her head and smiling her dazed, little, half-asleep smile.
"Morning, Luce," he chuckled as she unwillingly slipped back into sleep, falling slumped, draped across his chest. He idly drew circles on her back with his fingers, coaxing her from sleep, as he spoke, commenting on the newly furnished bedroom. "I like the bed; when did you get it?" His eyes gazed up at the deep purple canopy, with its long sheer hangings trailing down the deep cherry posts.
"Hmm… you wouldn't talk to me," she sighed, "James and McGonagall put some kind up some kind of alarm on the pitch… didn't have anything better to do… I shopped for two weeks straight. Nothing left in my account." Her words were muffled and sleepily spoken as she refused to lift her head from its place, burrowed in the space between his shoulder and his neck.
"I'm sorry, Lucy," he whispered, stroking her hair, letting his fingers entangle in the silky locks. "I really am."
She shrugged, not changing her position. "'S not your fault." Remus lapsed into disagreeing silence and she sat up, sighing heavily. "I thought we said we were going to forget it. I don't want to have a huge, stormy, rain cloud hanging over our relationship, Moony."
Smiling softly at her, he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Our marriage," he corrected her, "and, I'd prefer to be stuck in the rain with you than somewhere dry and warm without you."
"You're too good for me, Moony," she murmured, kissing him gently. "It needed to happen anyway, you know."
"What?" he frowned; she needed to sleep with his best friend.
Tugging the sheet around her shoulders, she smiled sadly. "If it hadn't, I never would have found out about my heart. Then what would have happened? Five years from now, I could have been pregnant with our child and died during delivery because of heart failure. I mean, wouldn't that have been worse? You'd stuck with a kid that looked like me without me."
He rolled his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows and brushing his lips against hers. "So, you are no longer an existentialist, then?" He didn't want to think about her dying. He didn't think he could live without her.
Lucy smiled, gazing into his blue eyes with those little green flecks that she loved so much. "I love you, Moony and I don't deserve you. My actions couldn't have played any role in what created us. If there wasn't fate, I wouldn't have ever even met you. If I had to take the responsibility of my actions, I never would have received the honor to love you, much less the privilege of receiving your love in return."
"I suppose, I should kiss you now," he smiled softly, "After making an assertion like that."
Biting her bottom lip, she blushed. "Only if you want, too."
"Oh, I do," he murmured, bringing his lips to hers before guiding her down to the pillows.
Lucy grinned, "Mm, dessert before breakfast."
"Mm hmm," he murmured, burying his face in her neck.
O
Sighing heavily, Remus trudged down the stairs. Lucy was taking way too long, by the time she got out of the shower he would have shriveled up and died due to hunger. He entered the kitchen, and it was, like everything else in the house, freshly painted and freshly decorated. James would have been better off to let her practice, she was getting just as much exercise overhauling her no– he mentally corrected himself, their house. Opening the fridge, he found, unexpectedly, it stocked full of everything he could imagine. If anything, he has expected to find a package of licorice wands, not full to the brim with actual groceries She hadn't been lying when she said she spent the entire time shopping.
He shuffled around through the cabinets, looking for supplies, intent on making breakfast. They wouldn't have to leave so soon if he cooked. He hummed a little as he worked, mixing together his grandmother's pancake recipe in a large brightly colored mixing bowl. Just as he turned on the stove, he heard her voice. "Whatcha, doing, Moony?"
Without turning around, he shrugged. "Making pancakes. I thought this way we won't have to go back up to the school 'til late tonight. The guys can cover for us today. God knows, I have done it for them plenty of times before; they owe me."
"Lovely idea," she perched up on the kitchen island, popping a few slices of banana into her mouth.
"What took you so long in the shower? You weren't having fun without me, were you?"
Lucy blushed, "No," she mumbled, cheeks full of fruit.
Turning to her, with a sly grin he said, "Eating my–" he cut off as he saw her; sitting there, perched up on the counter top in nothing, but a pale yellow, baby doll negligee, that hugged her perfect, little breasts, before splitting opened to reveal her tanned little stomach and tiny, lacy, yellow panties. Swallowing hard, he stuttered, "W-what are you wearing?"
Lucy's cheeks flushed even pinker and she glanced out the window. "Well, Cole said, that the best way to get you back was to show you what you were missing, so she took me shopping." Gazing back at him, hesitantly, she traced the thin pick scar on her chest with her fingers; it was becoming her new nervous habit. "I didn't have the guts to wear it, but I thought, since… I don't know." Slipping off the counter, she shrugged, staring at the floor. "I can go change, if you don't like it."
"Oh, no," he whispered, stopping her, placing his hand under her chin and tilting her head up to him, "No, Mrs. Lupin, you can stay right here."
"I love it when you call me that," she said softly, grinning widely at the use of her new name as she stood up on her toes and kissed him. Remus quickly turned the simple kiss into much more, delving his tongue into her mouth and slipping his hands to her hips, gently lifting her off the floor and placing her on the counter. Not letting him attempt to pull away from her Lucy quickly locked her legs around him, pulling him tightly to her. They didn't separate until a burning aroma invaded their noses. "Shit," Remus muttered, and Lucy sighed disappointedly, letting him go. "I forgot to turn off the stove." He waved his hand, trying to rid the room of smoke.
"You forgot to make the pancakes," Lucy laughed.
Sliding the skillet off the hot burner and onto a cool one, he flicked off the stove. "Do you still want pancakes?" he asked, planning to ignore the rumbling of his stomach for an entirely different appetite. His stomach growled loudly and he mentally cursed the thing as Lucy chuckled.
"Well, I am supposed to make sure I eat at least three times a day. Supposedly, my appetite was going to lessen or something. I don't think it did, but I never really ate much, but licorice anyway," Lucy informed him, "And, you sound rather hungry."
He nodded, flicking the burner back on and dropping a bit of butter into the skillet. Damn his loud, impatient stomach to hell. Trying to move his attention from how inviting, she looked perched up on that counter behind him, and how wonderful she tasted; he asked, "What else did the Healers say?"
"Mm, that I am supposed to build up to my old exercise routine slowly, limit the stress in my life, stay in a controlled temperature, and make sure I get plenty of sleep." She popped another slice of banana in her mouth as he poured a bit of the batter into the pan.
"And have you been doing all of that?" he asked
With a tiny bounce of her shoulders, she said, "I guess. Darla makes me take a sleeping draught every night. James won't let me on the pitch. Sirius and Lily watch me like a hawk to make sure I am not over doing it. The stress thing… well, you know what I have been like."
"Yeah…" Remus nodded. She had been an emotional train wreck for weeks; when she wasn't crying, she was screaming; when she wasn't screaming, she was crying. He had done that do her. Lucy was usually the most at peace person in the world, but after what he had said and what she had done, well, she hadn't really been herself.
She interrupted his train of thought, before he apologized again. "I should be able to go back to playing in a few weeks, though. Madam Pomfrey said I could start flying again Monday as long as I take it easy and there is someone out there with me."
Smiling as he flipped the pancake, he turned to her. "Well, that's good. You don't function too well without your daily dose of fresh air."
"I don't function too well without my daily dose of you." She grinned, eating another bit of banana.
"We aren't going to have any left to go on our pancakes, if you keep eating them, love."
"Hmm," she sighed, "I guess, I'll stop then." Slipping the finished pancake onto a plate and pouring some more batter into his skillet, he smiled at her tiny childlike pout.
She watched him finish another pancake before asking, "Moony, what was up with all the "I Love Lucy" references last night?"
Chuckling, he turned back around. "One: I was drunk. Two: I have been watching reruns all night long, every night, since I saw you in the hospital. And three: I was drunk."
Tilting her head to the side, she frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Why?"
Remus shrugged his shoulders. "I missed you; watching another Lucy kind of took my mind off it, I guess."
"Oh," she responded simply.
He flipped another pancake out of the skillet and unto the large stack piled up onto his plate. "Well, I suppose that's enough."
Lucy nodded and hopped off the counter. "Can we eat them in bed?"
"Mm, I don't know." He contemplated the idea, aloud. "We've already christened the bedroom, the bathroom and the living room. I think we should rid you of that delightful little outfit in the dining room after we finish breakfast. That's what tables are for, after all," he concluded, as he divided the pancakes slathering them in syrup and banana slices.
Giving him a grin, Lucy nodded. "I suppose you are right; we really should spend today shagging in every place imaginable, other wise we won't be able to call it home."
Remus leaned over and kissed her nose. "Exactly. And honestly, Lucy, when will you learn? I am always right." He smiled wolfishly, patting her bum and giving it a nice little squeeze. "Now, fill up some glasses with pumpkin juice and meet me in the dining room." Shaking her head in amusement, she made her way to the fridge. He was such a dork, but what did that matter? He was her dork.
O
Lucy watched him sleep peacefully, sprawled out across their dining room table, a thin patterned blue sheet draped across his chest. He was dreaming his eyes kept flicking back and forth beneath his lids. She bit her lip, leaning forward just a bit to brush his hair out of his face. He was beautiful she decided. Not in the way, Sirius was beautiful. No, Sirius was classic: strong aristocratic features, silky dark hair that fell into his deep grey eyes just so, and that mysterious little smile on his lips that just begged to be kissed. Remus wasn't like that. No, Remus, boyishly handsome with gentle, loving eyes, and a wry grin that made her heart melt. He was so kind, so unbelievably kind. He was amazingly forgiving. He had no right to be that forgiving and yet he was. She had fucked up so many times when it came to him and he'd just smile, hug her tight and say, "That's alright, love. We all make mistakes." She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve him.
"Hey," the sound of his hoarse, groggy voice drew her away from her thoughts. Her eyes flicked to his and she gave him a tiny smile. "You're awake."
"So are you," she answered simply.
He placed his hand on her thigh, interlacing their fingers. "You're watching me sleep."
"Yes," Lucy nodded, "you were dreaming."
"Hmm," he murmured, sitting up and tugging the sheet around her shoulders. "It's a little chilly in here; you're supposed to be staying warm."
Shrugging, she laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his middle. "I'm alright. No need to worry."
"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly. Lucy was rarely this quiet.
"Are we going to tell everyone?" she breathed, closing her eyes, and kissing his neck.
His fingers entangled themselves in her hair, and he pulled her closer. "Do you want to tell everyone?"
"Don't know. It's kind of odd. Yesterday we weren't even talking and today were… married, you know?"
Chuckling, he nodded. "Yeah, I know. You don't regret it, do you? I mean, if you do we can–"
"No!" she almost shouted, pulling back and gazing directly into his eyes. "No. Never. I want to be with you forever, Remus and this… it's perfect. I love being yours. I love belonging to you."
Pressing his lips to her forehead, he whispered, "I love belonging to you, too, babe."
"We are weird," she laughed, shaking her head after a moment.
"Mm hmm, we are. Though, what exactly did we do this time that was weird?" he asked, laying back down, trying not to be too obvious as he took in the perfect view the position gave him of her body.
She pulled the sheet up over her head, smiling down at him. "We fight, you get drunk, we make up, we get married. How many people wake up in the middle of the night, and just get married? Honestly, Remus, that's what we did. We had marvelous make-up sex and then found the only justice of the peace alive who would wed two eighteen year-olds at three o'clock in the morning." Grinning widely, she lay across his chest, nuzzling against him. "Moony, I got married in my pajamas."
Laughing, he kissed the top of her head. "Well, we could always have a real wedding some other time if you want," he offered. He hadn't really thought of that last night. Maybe Lucy had a dream wedding that he had totally ruined by waking her up before dawn and telling her he didn't want to wait anymore, that he just wanted them to be married, right that moment.
"No," she murmured. "It was perfect. I wouldn't want anything different. I don't want anything more than you."
"Good, because, that's pretty much all you are getting," he teased, tickling her side. She wiggled and laughed until he stopped, and answered her question. "Why don't we just tell the guys and Lily? We can tell everyone else that matters after graduation."
"You don't want to tell your grandparents?" she asked, placing affectionate little kisses up his neck.
"Mm," he sighed, trailing his fingers across her back. "To prevent them from having a heart attack, I think you should meet them at least once first. But, we can tell David if you like."
She nibbled at his earlobe, "Davy will tell my parents. He never keeps the big things a secret. Just the little things."
"Alright then, just Lily and the guys." He grinned.
Sitting up, she stared at him inquisitively. "Do you think if we told Dumbledore he'd let us move in together somewhere? Like Cole and Hunter?"
He chuckled, climbing off the table and pulling her to him. "I doubt it, but maybe we can kick Peter out of the dorm and send Sirius of to live with Cole." He took her hands and wrapped them around his neck before scooping her up.
"We can't do that. Poor Peter wouldn't have anywhere to go," Lucy said, laying her head on his shoulder. "Hey, where are we going anyway?"
He kissed her quickly. "We've already shagged in the dining room. We have to move somewhere else, now. I was thinking the spare room next to the bedroom."
"You mean my Quidditch room?"
"You're Quidditch room?" he asked. The last time he had seen it, it was just a bare room, with giant windows.
Lucy nodded. "Yep, I put all my Quidditch stuff in there."
"Well, fuck," Remus groaned. "We won't fit in there then."
Lucy laughed, shaking her head. "Well, dear husband," she smiled, "there is a desk in there."
He grinned. Husband, he was her husband. "And how big is this desk, my lovely wife?" She shrugged, not really remembering. "Well, it will have to do. Or I will just transfigure it into something that will. We are not leaving this house until we can call it home," Remus announced, trudging up the stairs.