When Scorpius sent her a letter asking her if instead of going out to dinner, they could just order in, she didn't question it in the slightest. They were both exhausted and if she was being honest, a night in front of the TV sounded much more appealing than getting all dressed up to eat mediocre food at a snobby restaurant. As usual, she got home before him seeing as he'd been working a tad bit later to make up for the time he'd taken off for the wedding. She called and ordered their takeaway and cast a warming charm over it while pouring herself a glass of wine. The minutes ticked by as she sat on the couch flipping through the article she'd just finished for work. A little over an hour later he still hadn't come home and she was starting to worry.

Right as she'd begun writing to him, the door clicked open and she heard him put down his bag and kick off his shoes. He walked into the room and she looked up from her papers smiling.

"Someone's home late," she commented as he strode over to where she was sitting.

"Busy day," he said, leaning down to kiss her. She surprised him by deepening the kiss, locking her arms around his neck, and coaxing him down next to her. They continued on that way, his mouth moving down her neck, her eyes rolled back into her head blissfully, until his stomach growled and they pulled apart.

"Dinner's on the counter," she said laughing.

He disentangled himself from her while shooting her that signature smirk of his, grabbing his wand and flicking it lazily, levitating his dinner towards him.

"So, how was your day?" she questioned, eyeing him over the brim of her glass.

"Quite interesting, actually," he said, between bites of chicken masala. "I talked to Harry."

His eyes were beautiful, something she never failed to notice and it took everything in her not to crawl on top of him and snog the living daylights out of him again. But she couldn't, not then at least because he deserved to be able to get through a sentence without her jumping him.

"Was it about a case? He's always so busy and I know the two of you always have something or other to talk about," she questioned while propping her legs up on his lap.

"No, it was about you actually," he said, frowning slightly.

"Oh, does he want to come 'round for dinner? I've been meaning to invite everyone over to thank them for their help with the wedding," she said oblivious to the anxious tapping of his foot. For being such a smart person, her mind was working awfully slowly.

"No," he said, tone steady. "Actually he mentioned a certain job he'd offered you in Estonia."

Her heart seemed to stop in her chest. The playful energy that they had just shared was gone and for some reason that she couldn't quite explain, she felt a horrifying mix of fear and embarrassment.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Were you ever planning on mentioning it to me?" he asked, and he didn't sound accusatory, just hurt.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," she shrugged, hating that she was lying to him.

"Of course it's a big deal, Rose. This is huge! And even if it wasn't I still don't understand why you wouldn't at least mention it to me," he said, and the distress in his voice made her eyes sting.

"I didn't mention it to you because the job didn't interest me. I never even really considered it," she said dismissively.

"For some reason, I don't believe that," he said looking intently at her.

She hated lying to him, partly because she told him everything, but mostly because it was so against what they had promised each other so recently. It has been a month since the wedding. Getting married to Scorpius was quite possibly the best decision Rose had ever made. Their wedding had been the best day of her entire life. All of their close friends and family, which amounted to quite a few people, sat before them as they pledged themselves to one another. It was a beautiful ceremony, and in true Weasley fashion, an enormous party followed that involved everyone they loved and tremendous amounts of alcohol. After the wedding, they spent one week in Greece enjoying the beaches Rose had visited as a child on holiday with her mothers' parents. They spent the majority of their time laughing and splashing in the water; something that proved to be Scorpius's favorite pastime. They came home exhausted, very sunburnt, but most importantly, in love.

They were earth-shatteringly happy. But with that being said, Rose was also scared. Their engagement had come about during a fairly rocky time for them. It wasn't unusual for the pair to fight; she was a Weasley and he was a Malfoy which practically made them destined to argue. But then they broke up, consequently shattering both of them. They had prioritized their careers before each other, leading to a devastating reality that their relationship was broken.

For 19 days, they were apart. Though the time was short, it seemed to last forever. They learned how difficult it was to function without the other by their side and they decided that with a great deal of work, they could salvage their relationship. Their engagement lasted for a little less than a year and in that year they had worked harder than ever to relearn one another. Having gotten together at such a young age, they had never considered the maturity needed to keep their relationship afloat. And by the time the wedding came around, things felt good. They both knew that marriage wouldn't provide automatic security in their relationship. They would have to work on it constantly, but they loved each other, and that was always enough to salvage things at the end of the day.

So, when her Uncle Harry approached her and asked her to spend about three months alongside the aurors as a journalist in their upcoming raid in Estonia, Rose told him no. There was no doubt in her mind that it would be a career-altering opportunity. The aurors only came across cases so large every few years, and limited writers were selected to accompany each mission. Her dream had always been to write at the Ministry level and this job would most certainly put her there. She had always viewed writing for the Prophet as a temporary job. She pictured herself in the Wizengamot, keeping track of serious ministry cases and eventually publishing some of her own work to make her mark on the world. But still, she told Harry no.

Because as much as she would have loved to have taken part in such an incredible opportunity, she loved Scorpius more. He had already given up so much for her, for their relationship. After their separation, he took a three-month leave from Mungos. She had been shocked but he had insisted that his being home was a necessity in rebuilding their relationship, both romantically and friendship-wise. And now that they'd been married just a few weeks, she knew that she needed to turn down the job to help further their growth. It wasn't that their relationship couldn't handle the strain of being apart for so long, she just couldn't bear to inflict such a thing on him after he had done so much for her.

That being said, she knew what Scorpius would say if she brought it up to him. He would, of course, tell her to take the job. He was the most selfless person in the world and she loved him for it. But she couldn't possibly tear them apart after they'd put so much work into being together again.

Her uncle had been disappointed when she told him no, as she knew he would be. He informed her that the process for selecting writers was very prestigious and that her selection was an honor. And she appreciated that, but she loved Scorpius and that mattered more than anything else. She'd made her decision with no hesitation. It was simple, which was why she hadn't felt the need to tell anyone.

But by not telling him about the job, she had been lying by omission and they had decided that from their separation onwards, their relationship would be built on honesty. She hadn't even considered that he would ever find out. But, she had told her uncle no without any explanation, even when he'd prodded her. She hadn't guessed he would mention it to Scorpius, but it made sense now that she thought about it. She had acted suspiciously and of course, Harry would ask Scorpius if she was okay.

She was torn out of such deep thought when Scorpius sighed heavily at her lack of response.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Rose. This could be a gigantic boost to your career and it's so unlike you to pass on something so exciting. But, there's obviously something holding you back, and when you're ready, you can tell me what it is."

She looked down at her hands unable to further her lie. He gathered the rest of his food and stood up silently.

"Where are you going?" Rose asked quickly.

"To bed," he said shortly. "I've had an incredibly long day and I really don't want to argue with you right now."

She could hear him entering the kitchen. The sound of his dishes being placed in the sink echoed along with that of his footsteps going up the stairs. The emptiness of the room seemed to swallow her whole.

She knew that she needed to come clean. It would be incredibly embarrassing to admit to him the real reason she had told her uncle no because that would mean confessing that she still had fears about their relationship. They were married, she was supposed to be past all of her worries. But she owed him the truth.

She got up and climbed the stairs in a daze, her heart beating rapidly. She walked into their bedroom right as he was taking off his shirt and it took everything in her power to stand and stare. But he seemed to have heard her come in and she snapped out of it, clearing her throat weakly.

"I'm about to shower. Are you heading to bed already?" he asked over his shoulder, already heading into their bathroom.

"I didn't take the job because I'm scared," she blurted out.

He stopped and turned around sighing. "You know that Harry would never put you in any sort of danger."

"I'm not scared of getting hurt. At least not physically," she said looking down at her feet. He stayed quiet, waiting for her response. "It's stupid, really," she muttered.

He crossed the room and took her face in his hands, his frustration with her melting away in seconds. "Rose, nothing you're feeling could ever be stupid."

The tenderness in which he spoke caused all of the feelings she'd been harboring, the fear and embarrassment, to rise to the surface and there was nothing she could do to stop her eyes from watering.

She took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm just scared that it's going to happen again."

"What?" he asked, looking utterly bewildered.

"It!" She said, pulling away wildly. "I can't bear losing you again. We promised to never put our work before each other again, Scorpius. We promised! And I would never do anything to jeopardize this," she said gesturing between them.

What she was alluding to seemed to settle over him heavily.

"Rose, are you really telling me that you didn't take the job because you're scared we'll forget about each other again?"

She could tell that the thought alone pained him, but she nodded weakly anyways.

"What happened last year is never going to happen again because I won't let it," he replied fiercely. "This job could change everything for you and I wouldn't dream of being the thing that holds you back."

"But you aren't holding me back!" she insisted stubbornly. "It was completely my decision and I would make it again!"

He sighed and placed a hand on the smaller of her back, guiding her to sit on the edge of their bed with him. Rose was stubborn and he loved her for it. He loved her even more for her total selflessness in putting him and their relationship before herself. But she had to take this job. It would mean everything. She would get to leave the Prophet, a place that even after years and years of reform would never be an all together ethical establishment. She would spend months in the field witnessing things she'd only ever read about. It would be incredible, and he knew that she wanted to do it just as much as he did. She just needed to admit it.

"Rose," he said gently. "If I got an offer from Mungos that had the potential to change my entire career, would you want me to take it?"

She closed her eyes tightly but nodded nonetheless

"Exactly. You can't turn this down, love. It's too important! And it's only three months. We'll write to each other. I'll tell you every minute of my day every day until you get bored of me!"

"You're right," she sniffled. But he could tell that something was still bothering her and he squeezed her hand, urging her on gently.

"It's just that I've never been away from you for that long. Not since I met you at least," she said quietly.

It was embarrassing. She shouldn't be so dependent on him. But she was and she couldn't find it in her to care because it was true. Ever since they started Hogwarts, they'd spent their summers together as well as every waking moment at school. After they'd graduated they'd moved in together immediately, never going more than a week or so without being in each other's company.

"It's just a couple of months. Other people do it all the time," he said lightly, ignoring the pain that shot through him at the thought of not seeing her for so long. She was right, they'd never gone that long without each other before.

"But we're not other people."

He sighed. "Rose, do you want to do this? Because if you don't then I'll never mention it again, I promise. But if you do, don't turn it down because you're scared. You have nothing to worry about here because I'm not going anywhere. Ever," he said firmly.

"I do want it," she said quietly.

"So you'll do it? You'll go?" he asked quickly, trying to mask his excitement.

She leaned over and pressed her lips to his, answering his question without even having to speak. He pulled her against his chest, the warmth of his skin radiating through her thin sweater. She was always overwhelmed by how much she wanted him.

"It might be kind of fun you know," she murmured against his skin.

"Hmm?" he supplied lazily, hands rubbing circles along her back.

"Just think of how long I won't get to see you and think of how nice it'll be when I get home. We'll have so much lost time to make up for," she offered smirking, her hand traveling slowly up his back to thread her fingers through the silky soft hairs on the nape of his neck.

He groaned softly at her ministrations and his grip on her waist tightened, his hands slowly making their descent down her sides, settling firmly on her hips.

"Maybe I'd better take that shower," he whispered lowly. "But I might need some help with the hard to reach spots," he said scooping her up in his arms.

She threw back her head laughing, feeling so much lighter now that she'd spoken to him about the thing that had been plaguing her for weeks. She was going to do it. She was going to visit her Uncle and beg him to let her rescind and the previous answer. And of course, he would tell her, yes, and then she would be off to Estonia. It would be the scariest thing she'd ever done, and she would miss Scorpius like mad, but she was ready for it. Because if her parents had taught her anything, it was that the scariest things in life were always the most rewarding.