Bound for Greatness
written by: albe-chan
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction and I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of the characters mentioned that belong to J.K. Rowling, and any similarities with real life are purely coincidental. This work will contain MATURE THEMES, such as coarse language, mature subject matter (mentions of graphic sex, nudity, etc.), and violence. Please, if you are not over the age of 18, or of majority in your country, DO NOT READ THIS! You have been warned!
XXX
A week later, Lily was feeling distinctly nervous, and smoothed her leopard print wrap dress as they went up a long walkway toward a grand mansion with perfectly manicured lawns and artfully trimmed hedges along the property line. Lily gripped Scorpius's hand, and glanced up at him. When he'd told her they would be having dinner with his mother and her new 'boy-toy' she had been pleased. Now she was wishing she didn't have to go through with this ordeal and that she hadn't pushed so hard to meet Mrs. Astoria Malfoy. She wanted to worry her lower lip with her teeth, but stopped herself, remembering she was wearing lipstick. Lily forced herself to breathe.
"Brace yourself," Scorpius said darkly, and pushed the doorbell as they got to the grand set of front doors. She looked at him again, and realized he was wearing the same expression he had when she'd seen him on television. The left hand door opened, and Lily took a deep breath, but it was an elderly man with a black suit and crisp white shirt who answered, raising snowy brows at Scorpius.
"Master Malfoy," he said, and stepped aside, waving them into a magnificent foyer, with three story ceilings and a massive crystal chandelier. Lily felt her mouth fall open. "So good to see you, lad," the man said.
Scorpius grinned. "Still at it Montgomery?" he said pleasantly.
"Until my last breath," the elderly man said, grinning back, then looked at Lily. "Good evening, Miss. May I take your coat and pocketbook?" he asked politely. Lily looked at him blankly.
"Um, sure, okay," she said, then slanted Scorpius a look. He shrugged and she slipped her lightweight trench off, handing it and her little purse to what she realized was a servant. Her brows went up.
"The parlor, Montgomery?" Scorpius asked, putting an arm around Lily's waist.
"Indeed, Master Malfoy."
"Thank you," the blond said, and lead Lily forward.
"What was that all about?" she whispered.
Scorpius smirked as he looked down at her. "My mother likes to think she's royalty," he said easily. "That's Montgomery, her butler, chauffeur, and the second best man I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. He taught me to play poker when I was a kid, and still beats me every time."
She licked her lips nervously. "Um, at risk of sounding stupid, " she mumbled, "are you like the filthy Old Money kind of mega-rich?"
Scorpius grinned. "Yes, darling. But don't worry, my mother is going to like you more than your father likes me."
She gave him a disbelieving look. Yeah fucking right. "Oh yeah?" she murmured.
"Yes," he said, then kissed the corner of her mouth. "You're beautiful, and my mother is a sucker for pretty things. And your father pretty much hates me entirely."
They entered into a sumptuously decorated room, grandly proportioned and extravagantly bedecked with antiques to resemble a Victorian parlor. On a richly upholstered sofa, angled toward a massive marble fireplace, sat a dark Latino man, probably not much older than Lily herself, and beside him, Scorpius's mother. Lily gulped. The woman was slim, smooth-faced, and haughty to the extreme, and wore a Harry Winston creation around her throat that sparkled in the firelight. Her hair was the same shade of platinum blonde as Scorpius's, but her eyes were a bright, icy blue, almost the same shade as her silk ball gown.
Lily felt distinctly under dressed and woefully inadequate. The Latino man's dark eyes roved over her, dark and appraising, as they approached, and Lily gulped and forced a smile as Astoria Malfoy looked at her coolly.
"Mother," Scorpius said stiffly, stooping to kiss her cheek dutifully. He slanted his dark grey eyes to the Latino man. "Are we acquainted?" he asked.
"Hector," the man said in accented English, extending a hand. Scorpius raised his brows but shook the proffered hand.
"Scorpius. The pool boy?" he asked his mother.
She shot him a filthy look. "No, the gardener," she said primly, then looked back at Lily. "Who's the pretty trollop?"
Scorpius smirked, pulling Lily closer. "This is Lily," he said. She smiled timidly at the intimidatingly beautiful blonde. Blue eyes narrowed.
"Is she legal?" Lily bit her tongue.
"Yes, Mother. Is he?"
Astoria rolled her eyes. "Sit, Scorpius. I'm getting a crick in my neck staring up at you two." They sat on the sofa that faced the fire directly and Lily gripped Scorpius's hand tightly as his mother glared at her. "Are you a gold digger?"
"No," she said quietly, feeling on edge. She barely resisted chewing her lip. Astoria's eyes narrowed. She pointed to the peridot necklace Lily had worn.
"Is that from my son?"
"Yes."
She sniffed. "Are you sleeping with him?"
Lily felt her indignation rise and smiled sweetly. "You bet. He's great, too, if that was your next question." Astoria's blue eyes flicked to Scorpius.
"Sit up straight, Scorpius. She's very pretty," she added as though the redhead weren't present.
"I'm aware, Mother."
"Your father liked redheads, too." Lily tried not to gape and shared an uncomfortable look with Hector. He rolled dark eyes that spoke volumes. To Lily they said, 'I feel you, girl'.
"I suppose it must be genetic, then," Scorpius said easily. "Shame he didn't marry one."
Astoria smiled, then looked back at Lily. "You're not a mick are you?"
Her brows rose a little. "Sorry, I'm afraid I might be. I have the drunk father to prove it. He likes redheads, too."
Astoria raised her own eyebrows, flawlessly dark gold, and Lily felt a stab of downright fear. "You've got a mouth on you."
"Leave her be, Mother," Scorpius said firmly.
Her blue gaze didn't waver from Lily. "Be quiet, Scorpius. The mick and I are talking." Lily took a deep breath. "I hope you don't plan on being the next Mrs. Malfoy," she said softly.
The redhead felt her temper flaring and tried to tell herself she should be nice to this woman. It was Scorpius's mother, for crying out loud! Even if she is a fucking bitch and a half. "I wasn't planning on it," she said easily. "I don't think I fit the requirements."
Scorpius squeezed her hand. She glanced at him, and his dark grey eyes glimmered. "Is that so?" Astoria said.
"Yup." Lily said, and watched the blonde woman flinch at the word, as though she had uttered a swear word instead.
"Do tell my why you don't meet the requirements," Astoria said.
Lily smiled, leaning against Scorpius. "Oh no, I don't think I could," she said politely.
Astoria glared. "I insist."
Scorpius squeezed her hand again and she shrugged. "For one, I'm not a total bitch. For two, I don't like making people feel inferior. And for three, I've only been seeing Scorpius for awhile, so even if he asked, I'd probably say no."
There was a long moment of silence, then Astoria smiled, and looked at her son. "For once I think you've done something your father would be proud of. If he weren't dead so young, of course."
Lily grit her teeth at the backhanded compliment, but Scorpius smirked. "He did have the thing for redheads after all."
"Let us eat," Astoria said, getting up. They moved from the parlor to a grand dining room, complete with crystal chandelier and too many forks at each place setting. Astoria sat at the head of the table, her lover to her left, her son to her right, and Lily sat beside Scorpius.
The first course was served, and Lily looked at the little pile of lettuce and vinaigrette with wary eyes, but put a dainty forkful into her mouth. It wasn't bad. "So tell me," Astoria said imperiously, "Lily, was it?"
"Yes, ma'am," she said pointedly and Scorpius shot her a pleased look.
Astoria smiled icily. "Lily, tell me, what do you do?"
She swallowed her bite of salad. "I paint greeting cards."
Astoria arched a brow. "An artist?" she said in the same tone Lily's own mother used.
"Yes," she said firmly. Don't let her get to you, don't let her get to you. She's just a bitter old woman, don't let her get to you.
"Adorable," Astoria said, smiling cruelly.
"Could be worse," Lily said, despite her better judgement.
"How so, dear?" Astoria murmured. "Scorpius, for the last time, sit up straight."
The redhead grit her teeth and looked at the loathsome blonde woman. "I could be an unemployed drunk like my father, right?"
Hector smirked. Astoria frowned. "There's still time, dear."
"You're not on your game, Mother," Scorpius said as the salad plates were cleared. "Normally you have them in tears by now."
Astoria frowned some more, and Lily realized it was exactly the same frown Scorpius wore when thoroughly displeased. "Normally you bring air-headed floozies to my table," she retorted. "Are you going to hang onto this one, Scorpius? The last one was rather short lived, wasn't she?"
The blond smirked. "She didn't measure up," he said blandly.
"Too bad," Astoria murmured. "She was prettier than the mick."
Lily took a deep breath as soup was served. "Tell me, Hector," she said boldly, determined to ignore Scorpius's mother and her attempts to belittle her. "Do you enjoy gardening? My own mother has rose bushes she thinks need constant pruning, but I prefer to see them grow wild. What do you think?"
"I also prefer a more unruly garden," he said pleasantly. "Nature has its own order, and over-pruning often leads to less blooms with roses."
Astoria glared with open hostility at Lily, who pretended not to notice. "I'll be sure to tell her. Sorry to pick your brain, but I'm curious, because I have a habit of killing plants, do you think cacti can be under-watered?"
Hector shot her a smile that smacked of approval. "Indeed they can. Most think cacti can go a long time without watering, which is true, but most people don't have saguaros in their homes, and the average potted cactus must be watered at least once every few weeks."
"Really?" Lily asked, shocked.
"Yes. Generally, the more attractive the cactus, the more water it requires."
Lily sat back. "Well now I feel bad." She looked at Scorpius. "Remind me when we leave to go home and water my poor cactus. If it's not already dead."
Hector's eyes flashed. "They are remarkably resilient, though," he said. "Even a cactus that appears dead may come back if watered and shown the right tenderness."
Lily smiled. "I should be taking notes. So, if I suck at watering plants, what's my best option?"
"Enough," Astoria snapped. Lily smiled politely.
"Sorry," she lied. "I'm hogging the conversation." She ate some of her soup. "We micks do that, I guess. We just blather on and on."
Scorpius's shoulders were shaking, and she slid a hand up his thigh. Astoria was regarding her like she was a cockroach about to be crushed. "Your parents should have taught you some manners," she said coldly.
Lily shrugged. "Probably, but we can't all afford to go to finishing school. By the way, this soup is amazing. I'd ask for the recipe, but I doubt you made it, and I'm not a very good cook either." She consumed some more, and bit her tongue as Astoria regaled her son with life at the Malfoy residence for the rest of the meal and asked him questions he couldn't answer about the Lamar case. The redhead ignored Scorpius's mother's comments about how unfair it was to ruin a poor young man's future because some 'silly girls' couldn't 'buck up and take ownership for their mistakes'. She thought instead about pleasant things, like what would happen if the lovely chandelier fell onto Astoria's head.
By the time dessert arrived, Lily was feeling edgy and like she had just been to war. Dinner with Scorpius's mother was like treading a minefield. Dangerous, with the constant looming threat of something exploding right in front of you, and she was going to need a stiff drink afterward. Dessert was a delicious strawberry and mango sorbet with some kind of crunchy thing that tasted like super fancy chocolate and peanuts stuck in the top. Lily barely refrained from licking the bowl.
And, like a cobra, Astoria struck again. "It's so very refreshing to see a young woman who eats," she said in honeyed tones. Lily noticed only two dainty spoonfuls had been consumed from Astoria's own bowl. "Though I'm sure it will undoubtedly catch up with you."
Lily bit her tongue and smiled. "I enjoy exercise on a regular basis, so hopefully it'll take longer to catch up with me."
Astoria's lip curled ever so slightly. "Are you one of those abominable gym rats or whatever the young people are calling them nowadays?"
"Oh no, I hate gyms. They smell funny." She glanced at Scorpius, and he quirked a brow, as if to say 'go for it'. "I prefer a more natural work out. I'm sure you know what I mean." Astoria Malfoy looked at her calculatingly, clearly not wanting to admit ignorance to her. Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mrs. Malfoy," she said, smirking, and looked at Hector. "I'm willing to bet he knows."
Golden brows rose as blue eyes narrowed. "I do not make it a habit to speak in riddles, girl, so-"
"Wow, I didn't think I'd have to explain this to someone like three times my age," she mumbled. "Sex, Mrs. Malfoy. It burns a lot of calories, you know, especially if you move around a lot." She stared in horror and Lily went in for the kill, lifting her brows, and widening her eyes in mock disbelief. "Oh my God, I feel really stupid. I thought Hector was, y'know, your fuck buddy, or whatever the kids call a cougar's prey nowadays. My bad." She looked at Hector, who looked like he was trying not to smile. "No offence, Hector. If I was sixty and single, I'd want a hot, young Latin lover, too, and you seem nice."
"And I think it's time to take our leave," Scorpius said smugly, standing up. "Hector, pleasure. Goodbye, Mother," he said, kissing her cheek.
"Bye," Lily said, and followed Scorpius as he lead her by the hand out of the dining room. "Holy crap," Lily whispered once she felt they were out of earshot in a hallway. "Holy crap. Holy fucking crap. Did I just say that? Please tell me I'm hallucinating. Why did you let me say that?"
Scorpius smirked, then abruptly shoved her against a wall, pinning her with his body, grasping her wrists and lifting her arms, and kissed her ravenously. "You have no idea how gratifying that meal was for me," he murmured, and bit down hard on her neck, suckling. Lily groaned. "Fuck, I was half tempted to throw you down on the goddamn table and do this when you started rambling about cacti," he rumbled. He transferred both wrists to one hand and the other dropped to rove up under her dress, then gripped her ass. "I barely held back when you said she was sixty."
"I kind of feel bad now," Lily mumbled, but then Scorpius was kissing her again, hot and erotic, his tongue delving into her mouth, stroking against her own tongue and the roof of her mouth, making her submit to him like wax to flame.
"Don't," he said gruffly. "She deserves it." He licked up her throat and she whimpered as his fingers found her panties, teasing her dampness through them. "I want to fuck you right here," he rumbled.
Her eyes widened. "We can't," she breathed.
"I don't want to wait," he growled. He released her hands and lifted her dress up. "I've been hard all night. You know I like this dress on you. And I know you're not wearing a bra. And you're sexy as fuck when you're being a smart ass." Lily groaned, lifting a leg around his hips.
"What if someone-?" she breathed.
"I don't care," Scorpius groaned, and she gasped as a finger slipped into her. "Tell me you don't want it," he demanded. "I can feel how wet you are, slut, and I know the risk gets you going." She whimpered as he fingered her, then abruptly pulled away. She clung to him as he fitted himself with protection. In the next breath he was inside her. She groaned, turning her face into his neck as he fucked her, hard and fast, right there up against the wall, and she bit him to muffle her sounds of pleasure. Her hands clutched at him, body arching into his as he brought her to a swift release, and she groaned as he stiffened and cursed under his breath as he too came.
They righted their clothing, the used condom was dropped into a vase of lush, extravagant roses nearby, and they headed back to the massive foyer. Montgomery was holding Lily's coat and purse, and she wondered if he'd been doing so the whole time. "It went well?" the man asked, his eyes twinkling as he looked from Scorpius to Lily, then back.
"Far better than expected. My mother is losing her touch, Montgomery."
"I know. She gave me a weekday off last week and I wondered if she was getting early onset dementia," the elderly man said softly. He looked at Lily and winked. "And it's so nice to see a young lady who holds her own." He looked back to Scorpius. "Take care, Master Malfoy."
"Always, Montgomery." When they got to the car, Lily frowned suddenly. "What?"
"I was going to ask your mother why she gave you such a bizarre middle name, and I totally forgot."
"It wasn't her choice. That was a gift from my late father."
Lily thought about that as they went around the large circular drive. "What was he like, your dad?" she asked after a long moment and they pulled out onto the road. Scorpius shrugged.
"He looked a lot like me, but that's where the similarities end."
"Minus the thing for redheads," she said and he smiled.
"True, there is that. Honestly, I didn't know him that well."
"How old were you when he died?"
"Twenty one. He died a week after my twenty-first birthday."
Lily's eyes widened a little at that. "That sucks." Scorpius shrugged again.
"I guess. Like I said, I didn't know him that well, and what I did know I didn't really like. He definitely wouldn't have won father of the year."
Lily wanted to ask what had been so bad, as surely her own father was far worse, but didn't have the nerve. "Has your mom always been like that?" she asked instead.
Scorpius's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Yes." There was a pause. "She's actually better now. Normally she goes out of her way to make women I bring home to her cry." The redhead found that hard to believe. "She makes your own mother seem like a saint, doesn't she?"
Lily half smiled. "Kind of, but my mom's just a lesser version of her, really. She's not very nice. Your mom, I mean." She looked at him, trying to read his face in profile. "Especially to you."
"Mmm," he said noncommittally.
"I don't like that. She should be proud of you and how accomplished you are in life and shit. You're a catch." Lily sat back in her seat and looked out the window. "Where are we going?" she asked, realizing they were heading out of the city.
Scorpius grinned. "It's a surprise, darling."
She frowned. "Scorpius, I don't like surprises."
"I know. But you'll like this one, I can promise you." She frowned more. "You've met my mother," he said. "Now I'm taking you to meet the woman I consider my mom." Lily's mouth dropped open. Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside a big old-fashioned farmhouse with a light burning on the porch against the growing evening. "And you're the first woman I've ever brought here, so I apologize in advance if she gives you the third degree."
"You have lipstick on your collar," Lily murmured, reaching out to rub it off his neck. "I don't think that bodes well for my image." Scorpius grinned and knocked.
The door was opened by a young boy, maybe five or six, who stared at them wordlessly. Scorpius smirked down at him. "Thomas, go get your Nana," he said. The boy stared at him then turned dark eyes to Lily.
"Who're you?" he asked, looking at her curiously. The blond rolled dark grey eyes and crouched down, beckoned the kid forward, and whispered something in his ear. The boy's eyes lit up. "Really!? Cool!" He turned, leaving the door wide open, and shouted, "Nana, there's people here!"
"Thomas, did you show them in?" A stout, greying woman came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel and her eyes, dark and sharp and crinkled with age much like the rest of her face, widened. "Scorpius! Well I'll be! I didn't expect you until seven." She bustled forward and pulled him down into a hug, then held him at arm's length. "You just get more handsome every time I see you, you devil. Not that you come visiting anymore." Scorpius kissed both her cheeks and then she looked at Lily, who felt like the proverbial deer in the headlights as those dark, sharp eyes took her in. "Is this her?"
Lily cast Scorpius a look and bit her lip. "Lily O'Shea," she said bravely, and stuck out her hand, but the woman pulled her in close and hugged her tightly. Lily hesitated, then hugged back.
"She's gorgeous," the woman said to Scorpius. "Though I don't doubt that's a requirement for you." She reached up to pat Scorpius's cheek. "I'm Rose Dawson, and you're going to call me Rosie. Everyone does, unless they already call me Mom or Nana."
"Um, okay," Lily said.
"Shoes off, coats up on the hooks," she said, waving vaguely. "And Scorpius, you take that tie off, this isn't a five-star restaurant, and come into the kitchen. Lily, dear, you come too." She bustled away, and Lily slipped off her trench and heels, feeling overdressed in the warm, homey farmhouse. Everything had the feel of being well used and well loved, and everything was scrubbed up almost spotlessly.
"Sorry, Rosie is bossy," Scorpius murmured, pulling off his tie, stuffing it into his suit pocket and hanging up their jackets. "And I hope you're still hungry. Rosie is known for feeding people."
They went into the big old fashioned kitchen with a vintage stove and sink, relics from the forties when the house was probably built by the look of them, and a large scrubbed wooden table. There was a woman at the table, holding a grumpy baby with a shock of dark hair on her knee. "Lizzie," Scorpius said, and kissed the woman on the cheeks, then pinched a chubby baby cheek. "Another one?"
The woman, Lizzie, bounced the squalling baby and rolled her dark eyes. Her hair was the same dark shade as the infant's. "You know me," she said. "Who's your friend?" she asked, smirking.
Lily smiled and Scorpius pulled her closer. "This is Lily."
Lizzie's brows went up. "The Lily?"
"She's pretty, isn't she?" Rosie said from the stove. "Sit, sit."
Scorpius sat and Lily sat beside him, feeling disconcerted that everyone seemed to know who she was and she had no idea how Scorpius even knew these people. "You haven't told her about us, have you?" Lizzie said.
The baby glared with dark eyes at Lily, then pointed and said, "Ba!" Lily couldn't help but smile. She wasn't sure if it was a boy or girl, but it was damn cute. Then it shouted again and she flinched a little.
"Sorry, she's teething," Lizzie said. The baby lunged forward, pointing imperiously at Lily again. "She likes you."
"What's not to like?" Scorpius said. "And no, I haven't told her yet."
Lizzie struggled to contain the baby, who seemed to want to climb onto the table. "No, MiMi, not everyone wants to be mauled."
"It's okay," Lily said, extending a hand to the baby, who slapped at it. "Can I?"
"Ba!" MiMi said again. "Ba, baha ba, ya ya!" Lizzie passed the child and Lily was surprised at the weight of her, but settled the baby in her lap. MiMi reached for her necklace, patting it, then smiled toothily up at Lily. "Ba!"
"Yes, it is beautiful, I know," Lily said, smiling back. "This is probably the cutest baby on the face of the planet," she said to Lizzie.
The dark-haired woman smiled. "Thank you. The problem is, she knows it. So, since you're Lily, and Scorpius doesn't seem to want to tell you anything at all about us, I suppose I will."
"No, Lizzie, because you're just going to tell all the embarrassing stories you have about me." Scorpius looked at Lily who was trying to gently pry a baby hand off a section of her hair. "Rosie was, way back in the day, once upon a time, my nanny."
"Changed every last one of his diapers," Rosie said. Lily smirked as Scorpius rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, when I was, what, four?"
"Five and a half."
"Are you sure?" Rosie shot him a glare and Scorpius smirked. "Five and a half then, she moved out here to have her own family. Her husband-"
"God rest his soul," Rosie cut in.
Scorpius grinned. "Her husband was Montgomery's brother. Long story short, after they moved out here, I spent summers with them growing up, since my mother and father couldn't be bothered to drag a child to France or Beijing or Switzerland or wherever when they went on vacation."
"Good thing too, or he'd have ended up a stuffed shirt," Rosie muttered. "Scorpius, come get down my big soup pot. I'm too old to be climbing up and down on stools." She pointed to a shelf and he moved to get it.
"I'm the youngest of Rosie's. There's more scattered here and there, but they all live pretty far away," Lizzie said. "And the little hellion who answered the door is mine."
"Where's Little Lizzie?" Scorpius asked.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Probably painting the bathroom with toothpaste." She looked at Lily as she got up, and nodded to the baby. "Do you have her for two minutes while I go find my other brat?"
"Sure," Lily said, lifting the pendant from MiMi's grasp. "No, cutie-pie, you can't eat it." MiMi shouted, then smiled as Lily winced a little. She looked at Scorpius who had resumed his seat. "Somehow I can't make this," she gestured around herself, "fit in with the rest of your life."
"That's because he doesn't like anyone to know he's a big softie under that handsome face," Rosie said, finally turning away from the stove. She lifted the baby, who was slapping Lily's cheek, and settled her on a plump hip, stuffing a damp washcloth in her mouth. MiMi gnawed and sucked happily. "And because he's worked so hard to make himself look like a big tough lawyer." Scorpius rolled dark grey eyes, but reached for Lily's hand.
Just then Lizzie came back in with a little girl who looked to be about three or four, leading her firmly by the hand. "We do not eat lipstick," she was saying. "It will make your tummy icky."
"But I wanted to be growed up," the little girl, also with dark hair and eyes, said solemnly and opened her mouth to say more, but her mother was wiping her face with a cloth, and the words were muffled. She turned her eyes to Lily and they went wide. "You's pretty."
Lily smiled. "Thank you," she said.
"That's Lily, she's a special friend with Scorpius. You remember him, don't you?" The little girl shook her head. "You saw him at Christmas last year, sweetie."
"No," she said with confidence, then looked back at Lily. "You have pretty hair."
"Yours is prettier," Lily said, and the little girl beamed, coming over once her face was clean.
"You have lipstick," she said, frowning, lower lip pouting adorably.
"Yes, I do. But your mama is right. If you eat it, it makes you feel icky. You just put it on your lips, not in your mouth." The little girl pointed at her necklace.
"That's pretty."
"Thank you," she said, feeling like she wanted to take this child home just for the compliments. "I like your shirt. It has ponies and ponies are my favourite."
Dark eyes went impossibly wider. "Me too." She pointed at one that had a lipstick stain on it. "This one's Clarabelle. And the other one is Renaldo." Lily grinned. "Your dress looks like a tiger."
"It's not real tiger, though," she said.
"Tigers are in dangers," the little girl said. Lily had to forcibly prevent herself from squishing the little girl to herself. "My name is Lizzie, that's short for Elizabeth. Can you teach me to put on lipstick so I can be a real growed up?"
"Sure. Come on, I have lipstick in my purse." She stood up to go get her purse, and the little girl took her hand. "Do you like pink lipstick or red?" Lily asked as they went back out into the mudroom.
Scorpius watched them go, then turned back to find Lizzie Sr. and Rosie both staring at him expectantly. "Is she the one?" Rosie said, handing the baby back to her daughter.
"Yes," Scorpius replied.
"Does she know?"
"Mostly."
"Are you going to pop the question?" Lizzie asked, catching the wash cloth as MiMi went to throw it.
"No." Both women glared. "She'll say no."
Rosie frowned. "Why would she do that?"
Scorpius smirked. "She's only twenty one. And she's Al's step sister, but that's a weird dynamic, and there's other...stuff. It's a long story. And it hasn't been enough time."
Lily and Little Lizzie came back, the little girl wearing bright pink lipstick and grinning. "Lily showed me how to put on lipstick like a growed up!" the little girl said brightly.
"Grown up," Lizzie corrected. "You look beautiful, sweetie."
"Very pretty," Rosie said.
Thomas came tearing into the kitchen all of a sudden. "Nana, Mom, guess what!?"
"What, honey?"
Scorpius arched a brow at the boy and he blushed a little. "Uh, nothing. I can't tell you, I forgot. It's man stuff." He nodded conspiratorially at Scorpius. "I'm gonna go explore- I mean play. When's dinner?"
"Ten minutes, honey," said Rosie. "We'll call you."
"What did you tell him about?" Lizzie demanded once her son had scampered off.
"The loose floor board in the crawlspace in the back bedroom. I think I left my favourite dinky car in there."
Lizzie laughed. "I used to hide my Betty & Veronica books from Izzy in there."
"Lily," Little Lizzie said quietly with wide eyes, patting her leg.
"What's up?"
The little girl frowned thoughtfully. "You's a special friend with Scorpius?" she murmured. Lily nodded. "What's that mean?"
The redhead glanced up, but no one else appeared to be listening, as MiMi was hollering, Rosie was checking on something that smelled heavenly in the oven, and Scorpius and Lizzie reminisced. Lily picked up Little Lizzie and sat her in her lap. "That means we love each other, and we spend lots of time together."
The little girl toyed with her necklace, looking thoughtful. "Are you gonna get married?"
Lily hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "Maybe."
"You should get married, 'cause then you could teach me to put on other makeups." She touched Lily's eyeshadow. "What's this stuff called?"
"That's called eyeshadow."
"Does it come in pink?"
"It comes in every colour. But pink is a good colour for you, because you have brown eyes, and pink will make them stand out."
Lizzie Jr. tilted her head. "Your eyes is lots of colours. They's pretty. I wanna be pretty like you when I'm growed up."
"But you're already pretty, Lizzie. And you're not even grown up yet! When I was little I wasn't nearly as pretty as you. I think you'll be the prettiest girl alive when you grow up, and by then I'll be old and wrinkly and I'll want to be pretty like you."
The little girl beamed and hugged her tight, wrapping her little arms around Lily's neck. She fought the urge to cry as she hugged her back. "Are you gonna come on Christmas with Scorpius?" she asked, pulling back.
"I'll come whenever you want me to, Lizzie." The little girl beamed again.
"Mommy, can Lily come see my ponies?"
"If she wants to, sweetie," Lizzie Sr. said. Little Lizzie looked at her with shy expectation.
"Let's go see your ponies," Lily said, trailing a hand over Scorpius's shoulders as she passed him.
Lizzie introduced Lily to all six of her plastic ponies, all of whom had normal human names, and Lily drew a quick crayon sketch of a pony for the little girl to hang on her wall, laughing as Lizzie hugged it to her chest and proclaimed she was going to keep it 'forever and ever'. They went back to the kitchen when Rosie shouted dinner was ready, and squeezed around the scrubbed wooden table. Lily sat next to Scorpius and her new best friend. Little Lizzie showed off her new pony drawing and declared loudly that Lily was her very bestest friend in the world, except MiMi, because she was her baby sister, and not old enough to have her own friends. Lily had seconds of everything, and thirds of Rosie's homemade macaroni and cheese.
"This is probably my new favourite food," she sighed, putting the last bite into her mouth. "It blows those Little Debbie brownies out of the water, and they have rainbow sprinkles."
The kids were put to bed after dinner, which Lily stuffed herself to the gills for, and Scorpius was then roped into story time for Thomas. Once they were alone, Rosie started the interrogation. "So," she said as Lily helped her clear the table and reached automatically to dry the dishes as they were washed, "how did you meet Scorpius?"
"At a wedding. My mother's husband's oldest son's wedding actually."
"In my day, we called that your step brother, dear." Lily smiled.
"Fine, my step brother. At his wedding."
"You don't like the Potters?"
Lily shrugged. "It's not that I don't like them, for the most part anyway, I just don't consider them my family, so I don't like referring to them as such."
"And Scorpius?" Rosie said. "Just stack the plates up, dear."
"What about Scorpius?"
"I assume you like him." Lily blushed a little.
"Yes," she said quietly. "He's very likeable."
"What do you think of his mother?"
Lily hesitated. "She's very…" Lily searched for a word that wasn't rude. "Outright," she said at last. Rosie chuckled.
"In my day, dear, we called women like Astoria a bitch." Lily snorted.
"Yeah, there's not really another way to put it," the redhead agreed.
"So how long have you been seeing him?"
"Um, awhile. Not long, really."
Rosie scrubbed out the roasting pan. "Is it serious?"
"Well, he brought me to meet you, didn't he?" she teased. Rosie grinned. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, I love him, and that's definitely a first for me."
"But you're still young, dear."
Lily paused. "You sound like you're trying to talk me out of seeing him," she said.
Rosie merely smiled. "So what do you do for a living?"
Lily swallowed. "I paint greeting cards."
"How wonderful. My oldest, Foster, is an artist too. Went to art school and everything, but he does that new-age modern stuff. Paint splatters and whatnot. But he's pretty good, although I'm horribly biased, and makes an outrageous amount of money doing it. Do you sell your greeting cards?"
"Yes. I have a publisher who markets them to boutiques mostly, but I had one picked up by Hallmark last year around Christmas that went national."
"What was the subject matter?"
Lily was caught a little off guard by the question. No one had really ever taken that much interest. "It was a standard Santa Claus coming to deliver presents with two kids peeking around the corner, looking shocked." Lily was exceptionally proud of that card, and had the original painting framed, even though it reclined in her closet now, not hung up. "It was part of the 'Warm Moments' collection Hallmark did."
Rosie's dark eyes flashed for a moment, and she dried her hands, moving to an overstuffed accordion envelope atop the fridge. She rifled for a moment, then pulled something out. "Is this it, dear?" Lily looked and stared, breathless. Because there was her card, looking right back at her. "My second-youngest, Isabelle, she's Lizzie's twin, sent me this for Christmas last year. Said the two kids looked like Thomas and Little Lizzie."
"That's it," Lily confirmed in a tiny voice and felt on the verge of tears. "Sorry," she said thickly. "I mean, I know the card got picked up and all, but I've never seen it, like, in person like this. After it was sent to someone. It's kind of...wow." She laughed to cover her growing embarrassment.
"I loved this card. You're very talented, dear, and I'd love to see more of your work," Rosie said, and Lily smiled tremulously. The woman folded her into a hug and Lily sniffled a little.
"Thank you," she said after a moment.
"Thank you, dear. I've known Scorpius a long time, and he's obviously very fond of you. And that doesn't come easy for him, you know." Lily nodded. She imagined, having Astoria for a mother, it would be tough.
"He's very lucky to have you," she murmured, and they went back to the dishes.
"And you, dear. Just do me one favour," she said.
"Anything," Lily agreed easily. She was almost jealous Scorpius had this not-quite-family so full of love and bursting with warmth.
Rosie gave her a significant look. "If he asks you to marry him, don't say no."
Lily stared for a long moment. "I'm not… We're only… I don't…" She couldn't seem to find the right words.
The older woman smiled, her dark eyes shining. "Of course, dear. I'm not even saying it will happen, just don't say no if it does."
"Okay," Lily breathed.
"Now, back to your cards, Lily. If I wanted to buy some, where would I look?"
"Rosie, are you playing nice?" Scorpius asked from the kitchen doorway.
The older woman rolled her eyes. "Certainly, Scorpius. Lily and I are talking about her work. You never mentioned on the phone when you called she was an artist. Have you seen her work?"
"A bit," Scorpius said. "She's amazing." Lily felt herself blushing at the lavish praise. "And she didn't even go to school for it."
Rosie looked shocked. "No kidding. Come here, Scorpius, look at this." She handed him the card. "She did that, did you know?"
Dark grey eyes met Lily's tawny hazel ones and she bit her lip, grinning shiftily. "She mentioned it, but this is the first time I've seen it."
"Izzy sent me that last year. Look at the faces of those children, don't they look just like Thomas and Little Lizzie? And the looks of wonder, so very perfect."
Scorpius set the card down gently and Lily was pretty sure she was a lobster face. "You should've seen the one she did for fall. It was pumpkins and I thought it was a photograph until I touched it."
"Lily, dear, you have to bring some of your work the next time you come," Rosie said with finality. "Scorpius, you need to bring her back soon, before the holidays."
"I will, Rosie."
"Good. And Lily, when you come back, I want to see some of your cards. Now you two have a long drive, so I'll let you set out." She hugged them both, kissed them as if they were her own children, and waved as they got into the car.
"I love her," Lily said as they backed out of the driveway.
"Me too," Scorpius said, smiling. "Little Lizzie is going to be upset when you're not there tomorrow, you know," he said. She smiled.
"I love her, too. I wanted to take her home."
There was a long pause as Scorpius drove. "Do you want children of your own someday?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Lily said instantly. "So long as they're as cute as Little Lizzie and Thomas and MiMi. Although maybe not for awhile. I couldn't imagine doing that full time."
Scorpius smirked. "You'd probably be good at it," he said easily. She looked at him and found his dark grey eyes roving over her curiously.
"I like to think so. I hope so." She hesitated, but couldn't help asking, "So, is Lizzie a single mom?"
Scorpius frowned. "Not by choice," he said succinctly. Lily's brow furrowed. "Her husband was in the military, and he died overseas." Lily's mouth fell open. "She doesn't talk about it, but it's been hard for her. That's why she lives with Rosie now, to help out with her brats and try to deal with it."
"When did he die?" Lily asked very quietly. She felt a surge of respect that Lizzie could still smile. She couldn't imagine being in her shoes, let alone with three kids, and not be a sobbing wreck all the time.
"Almost two years ago I believe." Lily sat back, and wanted to ask if that meant he'd never even gotten to meet MiMi. "Yes," Scorpius said quietly to her unasked question. "She was pregnant when he died. I didn't know myself she was even having another baby until tonight. Honestly, last Christmas, I thought she had just gotten bigger."
Lily felt a wave of sorrow for Lizzie. "That's shitty."
"It is. But Lizzie's only twenty six, and if I know her, she'll get through it. She's tough."
Lily reached out and put her hand over Scorpius's on the shifter. "Thank you for taking me to meet them."
"My pleasure. They like you. Not that I had any doubts they would, of course."
A few more minutes passed in comfortable silence. "So, just out of curiosity, they don't, I'm assuming, know about your sexual deviancy, do they?"
The blond smirked at that. "No. Most people don't, darling. It's not exactly polite dinner conversation."
"Mmm," she agreed. "I feel like I'm finally starting to get you," she said as they returned to the city.
"And?" he prompted.
"And that's it. I like it. You're a lot deeper than you come off."
Scorpius smirked. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."
"It was intended as one," she replied, smiling. After they got upstairs and into his condo, they spent a deliriously long time in his bed, making slow, sensual love to one another. Lily was on the verge of sleep, sated and warm, and added, "It makes it easier to love you, knowing you more."
"That's a relief, darling. I don't usually let people in."
She kissed his chest, closing her eyes. "You should," she mumbled. "You might be surprised at the outcome."
XXX