It was almost two days later that Fred decided to get out of bed. His friends had been calling him constantly to go out, have a few firewhiskeys and get laid. But Fred didn't feel like going out, whoring…he felt like sleeping off whatever sickness had possessed him to ask a near-stranger to another family dinner.

A meal alone with Marlene had been difficult because they were just getting to know each other. Dinner with the entire, nosy family had been hell the first time; and yet, he asked her to a second one! He must have caught mad troll disease or something…this couldn't be right.

Finally, by Tuesday afternoon he decided it was time to get up and take a long, hot shower; they always seemed to clear his head. However, after an entire hour had passed and he was none the wiser, he merely got out of the shower and decided to send her an owl. In only his boxer underwear, he sat poised over the parchment before he began to scribble words onto the paper.

With a loud whistle, Fred summoned Pig up from his napping spot in the kitchen. Pig came flapping in and nipped at him. Scowling, Fred shook his head, "You've had long enough to rest, Pig. I need you to take this over to Marlene Braedenstock's home; it's Flat B in Knockturn Alley."

In his loopy scrawl he had written:

Marlene,

I've been thinking a lot about this family dinner on Sunday. I think that we should see each other before then…perhaps learn more about each other before my family grills it out of your or I. What do you say? How does coffee at Fortune's sound? Are you free today?

Owl back soon,

Fred.

Fred cursed loudly. He had firmly planned to uninvited her…but his hand took over and wrote down a bunch of boyfriendly crap! Sighing, he didn't have a chance to tear it up before Pig grabbed it and zoomed away. He hadn't seen that old owl that fast in years…not since Percy had died.

Pig had been Percy's owl for use at the ministry…and he had taken an attachment to Fred after Percy had passed away. Fred treated Pig well and he got a free owl of it, neither had any room to complain.

Millicent had just slogged through the door, exhausted from the extra work she had been given at the Daily Prophet. Not only was she writing the front page stories but she was in charge of overseeing all the other articles! Though the other employees had gone home hours ago, she was just getting in. Luckily for her, she had the day off tomorrow; Daily Prophet employees were only allowed to work five days a work as dictated in their contracts.

It was a good tired though; she had given her all to the paper. Even Marcus didn't give her any lip service today (which Millicent should probably thank Draco for) and she knew that she had done well. What she wanted to do now was light some scented candles, slip into the bath and not come out for hours.

Unfortunately, an owl zoomed in and dropped a letter in her lap before perching on her couch. Sighing, she wondered if this was another "last minute report" from Marcus Flint; he had sent her at least ten of those today. Her eyes widened as she recognized the little owl, "Pig?" Fred had actually owled her…even though they had already made another date? She let her fingers gently rub over the owl's head as she opened the letter.

A smug smile came over her as she scanned the letter, "No reply, Pig. I'm going to surprise Fred myself." She made sure that the owl got some water and a biscuit before rushing into the room to change into a fresh set of robes.

Today she opted for a set of grey robes. They were low cut for sure and showed off a good amount of her thin figure, but they would do perfectly for a date at Fortune's Café.

Making her way outside, she apparated to the apartment Fred was renting. It was a lot smaller than her flat but he definitely had made it a home. Outside the door was a doormat with The Chudley Cannons emblazoned on it. She was careful not to step directly on it in case it was also one of Fred's famous jokes.

Rapping on the door, she found herself face to face with a very informally clad Fred Weasley. She couldn't keep her eyes from traveling downward as he stood, smirking at her. There was no denying it, he was a big boy. It was always a rumor at Hogwarts that the Weasley men were extremely well endowed… then again they had also said that about Marcus Flint…and she knew from personal experience that he was hung like a medium-sized dog. Fred, however, definitely verified the rumor about Weasleys…

Blushing, she turned away but not before Fred had a chance to catch her. "Look all you like, love. There's no shame in it." He laughed, "If I'd known you were coming by, I wouldn't have put any underthings on at all!"

Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. "Are you going to invite me in or are we going to talk out here in the hallway for all the neighbors to see those cute little boxers you have on?"

He laughed again, opening the door wider, "Come in, make yourself at home…I'll go get some clothes on." He was glad for the celerity of her response; it showed that she was interested and judging by her reaction to his body, he'd have her in bed by the end of the week.

Millicent couldn't stop thinking about his naked body. Ever since that night in the kitchen, she had wondered what he looked like beneath those robes. It had plagued her for days…and now that she had seen him, she wasn't sure how to feel. Her cheeks bloomed with redness and she couldn't make the blush go away.

"So, you want to head for some coffee at Fortune's?" Fred called from the bedroom. He truly had one set of clean robes left, a rather dressy set of black ones that he usually kept for special occasions. Well, besides having no other robes, this seemed a good occasion as any to wear them.

Millicent found herself welcoming any distraction from fantasizing about Fred's body. Unfortunately, when he came out dressed in fine robes, looking quite handsome, it didn't help the situation any. "Sure, I could use a cup," She answered…maybe some decaf, she added to herself.

Fred had to stifle a laugh, Marlene was into him. "Let's go then, it's just a short walk down the street," He offered his arm to her and relished in the feeling of her arm linked in his.

She had made it further with him than any other woman…well, ever. Millicent knew that just by looking at him; Molly, too, had told her that Fred never had gotten past a first date with the girls she had set him up with. It was rather nice to know that this might mean something to him.

They walked in amicable silence down the busy streets of Diagon Alley. It was always bustling with activity here, day or night and Fred held on tighter to keep her close. Fortune's was a small café on the outskirts of Diagon Alley. It remained off the radar of most holiday shoppers; they tended to stay near the big shops and the surrounding restaurants: the Hog's Head and others. Thus, mostly the residents of the area came here and it remained mostly quiet.

Pushing the door open, Millicent made her way over to a table by the fire. A few people sat at tables sipping coffee drinks, a few scattered people alone, one couple whom Millicent swore were about to rip off each other's clothes and one mother who was busy slicing a cookie into four pieces for her three children and herself.

Upon second inspection, she realized exactly who it was. Leaning over, she turned her eyes toward Fred, "Isn't that Fleur?" She asked quietly and pointed over to the table.

Fred gave Millicent a puzzled look and peered over her shoulder, "What's she doing here? We're a long way from France," He answered, standing up. His sister in law had insisted that Bill move to France with her so she could be near her sisters and terminally ill mother. She hated Britain and everything about the country…so it made no sense for her to be here now.

There was something in Fleur's face that Millicent couldn't ignore. "Fred, would you mind terribly if I went over and said hello?" She asked, searching his face.

"I don't mind, I'll get us some coffee. What do you like in yours?" He wasn't about to go over and poke a sleeping dragon…Fleur may have looked sweet and innocent but she was a harpy.

Millicent smiled, "I take it black, thank you." Standing, she made her way over to Fleur's table, still smiling. "Fleur? How are you?"

The pregnant woman's head snapped up, staring into Millicent's sandy hazel eyes. "Marlene, zees is…such a surprise. What are you doing 'ere?" The fear and nervousness did not go unnoticed, especially not by Fleur's middle daughter Lilliane. The red headed girl put her head down, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Fred and I are just having some coffee," She answered, eyes falling on the young girl. She couldn't be older than seven, Lilliane who was four (and a half, she would tell you) and followed closely by Molly who had just reached two years of age. "Is everything alright, Fleur? You're a long way from home."

Fleur stiffened and picked up her cup of tea, "I don' think zat is any of your business." She said hotly as she rubbed Bridget's back. Casting her eyes around the shop, she leaned in closer to Millicent, "I…zis is not like Bill," she whispered, her voice shaking. "We went to Gringotts to visit him and zey told me he was fired six months ago!"

Bill had been fired? She knew for a fact that he was one of the top curse breakers in the entire country, if not the world. "Fleur, that doesn't make any sense, did they say why?"

Hormones ran amok as she gripped onto Millicent and sobbed. "Zey won't tell me anything!" She wailed, the tears streaming down her face. "And with zis' fourth child, it'll be more expensive, Marlene."

Fred looked over from his place at the counter to find his new woman being smothered by Fleur. Rolling his eyes, he left the coffee on their table before going over. "Hey everyone," He said, playfully tugging on Lilliane's red pigtail. "What's with all the tears?"

"Fred," Fleur cried, "Did you know zat Bill was fired from Gringotts?" In her present state, every stressor was a bad one. A single short pain in her abdomen stole her breath, making her bite down on her lip.

Shrugging, he shook his head. "I had no idea, Fleur. You'd have to ask Bill about that."

His nonchalance annoyed Millicent greatly. She noticed that Fleur flinched in pain and looked toward Fred again. "Fleur, are you alright?"

Another pain ripped through her and she cried out again. Shaking her head violently, she used Millicent to stand up. "It's ze baby…she's coming."

Shock coursed though Fred as he watched Marlene hold onto Fleur. "W-what can I do? What should I do?" Fear coursed through him as he stepped back.

Breathing deeply, Fleur gripped Millicent's hand. "Floo Molly, she'll find Bill an'…Marlene, can you take ze girls tonight?" She smiled as Fred's new girl nodded. "Bridget, Lilliane, Molly, be good for Marlene!" This would give the newest Weasley Woman a chance to experience what being a parent was all about…

Leading her over to the floo, Millicent yelled, "St. Mungo's, Maternity Ward!" Putting her hand on Fleur's back, she smiled, "Good luck, Fleur, you'll be fine."

Fred had already flooed his mother and she had gone into mother-combat mode. Children were deployed in every direction; Bill had been found immediately and sent to St. Mungo's without another word. Fred himself had been ordered to take the girls back to his apartment and watch over them while Bill and Fleur were at the hospital.

Millicent sighed heavily, exhaustion overtaking her all of a sudden. She sat down, taking the seat that Fleur had vacated only moments ago. The three girls watched her in earnest and Millie couldn't help but smile at them. "What do you say we have a girls' night? Order some pizza and make ice cream sundaes? I think I even have a new exploding snap set." Each of the girls seemed extremely excited at the prospect of a night of fun and Millicent took that as a good sign.

"Can Uncle Fred come?" He asked, coming back from the floo with a goofy smile playing on his face. His mum had asked him to look after the three girls as well, and he knew better than to turn her down. He did, after all, have a lot of laundry to be done at home.

A chorus of yeses brought a smile to both of their faces. "I hope you don't mind, Marlene, mum asked me to keep an eye on them as well."

"Of course we don't mind, Fred, it'll be fun." Standing up, she found that the littlest girl, Molly, was clinging to her leg. Reaching down, she picked the girl up and smiled as she snuggled against her chest. "Come on girls, there's a lot of fun to be had!"

Bridget led the way, holding Lilliane's hand and nearly dragging her along. Fred and Millicent walked just a few paces behind; Molly snuggled against her and he was careful to watch for any flustered shopper who might not be paying attention. Whether it was luck or careful surveillance on Fred's part, the five of them reached his apartment without a hitch.

It was Lilliane, the quietest of the three, who spoke up first. "Auntie Marlene, are you going to get the games from your house?" She smiled broadly showing that both of her front teeth were missing.

Laughing, Millicent nodded. "I'll run over there and get the exploding snap and maybe even my wandless baking kit."

Fred cocked an eyebrow, "How old are you again, Marlene?" He sniggered.

"I bought them for my goddaughter, Sylvia but I'll have plenty of time to replace them before Christmas. I think this is for a very good cause," She answered and gently placed Molly into his arms. "I'll be right back, girls. Be good for Uncle Fred." She cast one glance back before heading out to the apparition point outside the apartment. She swore she heard him beg her to come back soon just before she apparated back to her flat.

Sylvia would be ten years old on Christmas day and Millicent always got two presents, one for Christmas and one for her birthday. Pansy and Theodore always seemed to lump their daughter's birthday in with the holiday…though, the girl never felt neglected when it came to presents. They always gave loads of extravagant presents to their only daughter.

She unwrapped the gifts, collected the gallon of vanilla ice cream she'd been keeping in the freezer and finally decided to bring along the ten thousand galleon Chateau d'Yquem. Walking to the floo, she extinguished the flame with a simple incantation before making it to the door; it wouldn't do to have someone floo when she wasn't home! Grabbing a pair of pajamas,—ones that weren't see through, just in case—she made sure the wards were back in place before apparating back to Fred's apartment.

A/N: I don't know everyone, I'm not getting the response that I'd like from this story. Only about a quarter of this story is finished and ready to be published, I'm in the process of writing the latter half, gathering ideas. I want to hear what everyone has to say, should I continue this story or give it up as a lost cause?