A/N: MV asked me if this was just another story arc or if the story was starting to wrap up. To be honest, I am on the fence about that. On the one hand, I could probably continue this on for the rest of time, on the other, there is such a thing as knowing when to call it quits. So, at the moment, the length is undetermined. I do have a good idea of which I will choose, but nothing is set in stone. I did want to wrap it up before Nov 1st, but that date is not set in stone (and I refuse to rush), so… if it's not, know that Nov updates will be sporadic at best. Oh, and some of these things that happen in the chapter… I swear to Merlin that I didn't see coming. I only have so much control over characters. Wow, the reviews are great, guys, by the way. We surpassed 450! Keep it up! And thank you to those who have recommended this story to your friends.

Disc.: The characters are borrowed for our delight.

Think About It

He had kept his word, she decided as she looked at her overnight bag on the table. Scorpius had, indeed, either retrieved it himself or sent for it. Lily sighed as she shuffled into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of juice. She was working the day shift today and that irritated her. Day shift meant that all kinds of family would be in and out all day, hell bent on sticking with their New Year's resolutions to visit their ill and unstable relatives in the Critical Curse Unit. Lily smirked, knowing by February, that would be swept under the rug, another failed resolution forgotten.

Lily carried her juice into the bathroom, disrobing and staring at her full length mirror that she had attached to the back of the door. She looked absolutely the same as ever, aside from being a little fuller breasted and of course looking as if she had swallowed a whole watermelon. She frowned as she traced with a finger one of her newest pregnancy side effects: a stretch mark. She shook her head and gently prodded her stomach.

"You're worth it, Bean, but let's try to limit these, ok?" Lily told her stomach. Bean squirmed slightly and Lily laughed. "You should be embarrassed. How will I ever wear a two piece?"

She knew that some women had it much worse. Rose had blown up so quickly with Tabby that her stomach looked as if she had been attacked. Those marks would eventually fade to silvery lines and be of no consequence, the battle scars of pregnancy. Still, Lily wasn't keen on getting too many more of them than she had to and she lathered on a thick layer of Magic Mark-Off that she had ordered through the hospital. For the most part, it had starved off most of the marks she knew she should have had with how quickly Bean was growing from within her. She looked at the clock.

"Damn, why didn't you tell me how late it was?" Lily chastised her belly quickly as she whipped on her work uniform, struggling for a moment to tie her shoes. Sighing, she gave up and grabbed her bag, nearly tripping on her undone laces.

She made it there in nearly record time, slipping into the seat next to Marshall there at their counter. He looked up and grinned at her. She glanced over, unable to suppress her grin. He looked silly, a little tired, and his hair was disheveled, but his clothes were pressed which was more than Lily could say for herself. She tossed her bag into the drawer and spun around to face Marshall, putting her shoe up on his chair. He laughed, rolling his eyes and tied her shoes for her.

"When are you going to give it up and invest in Velcro?" Marshall snickered.

"I'd still not be able to reach them," Lily said shaking her head.

"And you still have sixteen weeks to go," Marshall teased. "This is why you should be at home."

"Oh, yeah because barefoot and pregnant pays the bills," Lily retorted as he tied her other shoe for her. Marshall laughed and shook his head.

"You know, there is more than one way to make this work, Lily," Marshall said. Lily shrugged and pulled her stack of files toward her.

"Anyone die on us last night?" Lily asked as Shanna came up tiredly.

"No, but I never want to work another night shift again," Shanna said shaking her head. "Our newest new girl was completely incompetent. I ended up firing her and sending her on her merry way."

"Ah, and I thought this one was going to be the one," Marshall teased. Shanna shot him a look.

"Just because they're good looking, Marshall, doesn't mean that they are going to work out," Shanna said. Marshall laughed.

"Lily, you are one of a kind, then," Marshall teased, causing Lily to blush slightly.

"How was Rose's baby shower last night?" Shanna asked. Lily laughed.

"Great," Lily said grinning. "Tabby was born!"

"Oh, wow!" Shanna said. "What a surprise!"

"Indeed, it was a surprise. Rose was so mad at me, because I joked she'd have it last night, well, technically this morning," Lily said.

"Did you sleep last night?" Marshall asked slightly concerned.

"Yeah, some," Lily grinned. Marshall groaned and shook his head.

"Come over after your shift tonight," Marshall told her. "I'll make dinner."

"Depends," Lily said grinning. "What are you making?"

"It's a surprise," Marshall laughed as he stood, stretching. "So, I'll see you then?"

"Yeah, of course," Lily said. "But we'll have to come back here for our shift tonight."

"No problem," Marshall said. "You can catch a few winks at my place."

"Always great," Lily said. Marshall started towards the door, pulling his coat on.

"Are you sure you'll be ok to work today?" Marshall asked her. Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're not my father, Marsh. I'll be fine," Lily said grinning. "Just make sure you have dinner ready for me when I get home."

"Yes, ma'am," Marshall laughed as he turned and left. Shanna laughed and took her seat. Lily turned back to her files and began working on them.

"So… are you sure you are going to be able to work the broken double?" Shanna asked concerned. Lily sighed and put her pen down.

"Shanna, really, I know I'm pregnant, but that doesn't mean that I can't work," Lily said.

"Yeah, but you couldn't have slept much last night," Shanna reminded her.

"So, I'll sleep at Marshall's and threaten him to wake me up in time to go to work," Lily promised. Shanna laughed.

"You and Marshall seem to be getting along fine," Shanna said. Lily had already returned to working on her files.

"Oh, yeah. He's great," Lily said absentmindedly as she prepared her checklists.

"So… are you two dating?" Shanna asked. Lily looked at the older woman in horror.

"I'm almost five months pregnant. What business do I have dating?" Lily asked.

"That's not a 'no'," Shanna said grinning. Lily laughed; her face was red with embarrassment.

"Marshall and I are just really, really good friends," Lily assured her.

"Well, no one would blame you if you and he started dating, baby or no baby," Shanna assured her. "I mean, we all deserve a little bit of love occasionally."

"The only kind of love Marshall and I share is the one of a deep friendship," Lily said as she climbed to her feet. "I'm going to head down to the cafeteria for a snack. Do you want anything?"

"See if they have…" Shanna started. Lily took her time walking down to the cafeteria, passing other Healers and specialists on her way.

She thought about the fact that she, too, believed that she did deserve some love. She was far too lonely, even with Bean in her belly and her cat Skye. She and Marshall cared about each other, and it would be so easy for both of them to slip into that role with each other, but they had discussed it. Their love wasn't of any more than Lily's love for a brother, though she thought of fighting it.

Marshall deserved more. He denied that Lily couldn't be enough; her love, though flawed, would be sufficient. Lily couldn't do that to him, to saddle him with a baby that wasn't his and a pale version of love, and they had decided to only ever be friends. It was good, though, he was content being her friend, and they were the very best of friends.

The day sped by without much thought and as predicted, more families visited their loved ones, part of their resolutions. Family visits often were disruptive to the day to day care of the patients, but Lily knew that she had to be patient with the families. They meant well enough. Only a few ever visited with long term consistency. Lily looked up to see Professor Longbottom standing in front of her, grinning.

"Hello Lily," he said.

"Hello, Professor," Lily said as she smiled.

"How are you?" he asked. "And, please, Lily. We're out of school now; call me Neville."

"I'm fine, Neville, and I assume you are as well?" Lily said grinning. He nodded.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Neville said. Lily smiled politely.

"About what?" Lily asked.

"A job," Neville said.

"I have a job," Lily reminded him.

"Yes you do, but with the baby coming, you'll want something a little more structured. I want you think about possibly coming and teaching at Hogwarts," Neville said quietly as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. There was a silent pause that stretched between the two of them.

"Teaching?" Lily asked hesitantly, the smile gone from her face.

"Yes," Neville said grinning. "Starting next fall, we will have an opening for potions master."

"Wow," Lily said. "I mean that's… wow."

"You don't have to decide now," Neville said smiling. "Just think about it. It would give you more time with your baby, better hours, housing on campus."

"I… I'll have to think about it, surely," Lily said. Neville nodded.

"Good, think on it," Neville said. He looked down the hall. "Well, I better see how mom is doing."

"She misses your dad," Lily offered. "But she's doing really well. Eating, keeping up her strength. She's have a great time in art therapy."

"That's the only downside of having you come to Hogwarts, if you so choose," Neville said smiling. "I won't have you taking care of my mom."

"You know, no matter who works here, your mom is always going to be taken care of," Lily promised. "Not that I've decided."

"Of course not," Neville said seriously. "But you're thinking about it and that's great."

Lily didn't knock when she got to Marshall's; instead she used her key to let herself in. The apartment was overly warm and Lily pulled off her coat and sweater, hanging them up on the hook. There were several complementary aromas wafting through the apartment. She rubbed her belly slightly as she glanced to the kitchen. She turned her head and looked up as Marshall exited the bathroom, wearing a towel around his waist.

"Oh, dude you're early," Marshall said as he glanced to the clock. "Or I'm running really, really late."

"I think it's a bit of both," Lily said snickering as Marshall headed off to his bedroom to change. He emerged a few minutes later, wearing jeans and a tee shirt.

"Sorry," Marshall said grinning. A hint of color burned in his cheeks.

"Mind if I lay down?" Lily asked. Marshall shook his head.

"By all means," Marshall said. Lily headed into his room, not surprised to find it a bit messy and the bed unmade. She climbed in, tucking her arm behind her head as she kicked off her shoes. She watched as her stomach danced and wiggled in front of her eyes. The bed shifted and Marshall's hand crested her stomach.

"It's getting big, huh?" Lily asked. Marshall laughed.

"It's all baby," Marshall said. He paused.

"Sure it is," Lily said. "Like it has nothing to do with the cooking you've been doing lately." Marshall laughed.

"Speaking of, I hope you like honey glazed chicken and rice," Marshall said. "As soon as the rice is done, it'll be ready."

"Sounds good," Lily said as she bit her lip. Marshall absent mindedly rubbed Lily's belly, Bean kicking anywhere Marshall talked.

"Is something wrong?" Marshall asked quietly as he watched Lily. Lily looked at him in surprise.

"No, why?" Lily asked.

"Well you're not sleeping and you're not talking," Marshall said. "And you look like you have a lot on your mind"

"I'm thinking," Lily said quietly. Marshall rolled to his side and pushed his head up, resting it on his arm.

"About?" Marshall asked as he and Bean started playing the tapping game.

"Neville Longbottom," Lily said. Marshall laughed.

"Please tell me that you didn't turn down the chance with me for him. You know he's married," Marshall said. Lily laughed.

"No, trust me you'd win hands down… if I felt that way," Lily said. Marshall sighed dejectedly but smiled none the less.

"Then what about Neville Longbottom?" Marshall encouraged as his hand rested on Lily's stomach.

"He offered me a job," Lily said. Marshall looked at her curiously.

"But you have a job," Marshall said. "Is he thinking of taking Miss Alice home for care?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," Lily said shaking her head. "It'd be a teaching position. Potion master at Hogwarts."

"What happened to that Perkins fellow that was teaching?" Marshall asked. Lily shrugged.

"We didn't talk specifics, other than that I'd be potion master and there's house on campus, better hours, more time with the baby," Lily said as she bit her lip. Marshall's eyes traveled to her face.

"Lily, you love being a healer," Marshall reminded her gently.

"I do," Lily sighed. "But sometimes the hours are killer and I always loved potions."

"Work less hours," Marshall suggested. Lily looked at him, seeing that he was evidently upset.

"I can't work less hours and make my bills," Lily said shaking her head. She touched his hair, always amazed at how soft it was.

"Marry me," Marshall said desperately. Lily's eyes opened wide and she started to withdraw her hand. He seized it gently with his.

"Marshall…" Lily started.

"Look, we both know that you don't feel that way about me, and I get that. But this would solve so many problems. You could move in here with me, the baby would have it's own room. You wouldn't have to work. I'd work two jobs if needed," Marshall said quickly and Lily wondered how long he had been thinking along these lines. He looked at her. "Look, I'll be for you whatever you need for me to be. Just think about it, ok?"

"Marshall…" Lily protested. He silenced her with his finger, pressing it against her lips. Just then the buzzer rang and Marshall was up out of bed.

"Dinner's done, Lils," Marshall said almost breathlessly. "Just think on it."

Lily struggled out of bed and headed to the table. She was determined to talk about it now, to not let things go on any further than they had to. She waited until they were both seated at the table, food before them. Marshall started eating at once, and Lily suspected that he hoped she'd follow suit.

"Marshall," Lily said carefully. She could practically see him wince under her gentle word.

"Yes, Lily?" Marshall said after he swallowed his mouthful.

"You know I love you, right?" Lily asked him quietly. Marshall sighed and nodded.

"But you're not in love with me," he replied as he finished her statement. "Still, Lily, I'm willing to be your child's father, to raise it as my own. To love it. You may not be in love with me, Lily, but I'm in love with you."

"I know," Lily said sadly.

"Look, Lils, your baby needs a father, and yeah it's great that Scorpius is back in the picture, but he's only ever going to be a part time father," Marshall said quickly. He looked at her. "If not marriage to me, then at least stay here, live here as a roommate. I'm closer to work than you are and I am willing to work the opposite shifts so that you don't have to put Bean in a center, like we talked about before."

"Marshall," Lily protested.

"Please, Lily," Marshall begged quietly. "Don't leave."

"I haven't even made my decision yet," Lily promised. Marshall's face reflected sadness.

"I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss working with you," Marshall said quietly as he picked up his fork.

"Marsh, I've not decided yet!" Lily protested louder. Marshall looked up at her and nodded once.

"No, not yet, but you will," Marshall said. He sighed. "But I understand, Lily, I do. You have to do what is best for you and Bean, and I respect that. Even if that means only seeing you on school holidays."

"Seriously Marshall," Lily said as she speared some food. "I've not made my choice yet. There are too many factors to consider."

"Like Scorpius?" Marshall pressed carefully. Lily swallowed and nodded once after hesitating.

"I suppose, yeah, I'll have to let him know what I am doing," Lily said. "After all, he is Bean's father."

"Is he going with you to the next ultrasound?" Marshall asked curiously.

"I've not asked him yet," Lily said.

"You should," Marshall insisted. Lily looked up at him and smirked.

"You'd do anything to keep me here, huh? Even have me get back with Scorpius?" Lily taunted lightly. Marshall grinned, his face lighting up.

"If nothing else, you are my best friend, Lily," Marshall said unabashedly. "Don't hold it against me that I don't want you going anywhere if I can help it."

"Good to know," Lily said. "Now I know where you stand on my leaving or not leaving, as the matter may be. Not that I've made a decision."

"Of course not," Marshall said shaking his head almost sadly. "Not yet. But soon."

"I have plenty of time," Lily promised. Marshall looked at her frowning, shaking his head slightly.

"A lot can happen in sixteen weeks," Marshall said. Lily sighed in frustration, Marshall looking at her curiously.

"Yeah, a lot can happen in sixteen weeks," Lily reminded him. "Sorry, I'm just a little crankier than I expected."

"It's ok," Marshall said quietly. He watched her brush her hair behind her ear and rise. "I'll pack you up something for work later tonight so you eat then. Go on and rest."

"Ok," Lily said as she walked toward the bedroom. She turned and looked at him. "If you don't wake me up on time, I will kick your butt." Marshall laughed.

"I'll wake you up on time," Marshall promised.

And he kept his promise. The two of them had a very uneventful night at work and by the end of it, Lily was ready to go to straight to bed. She text Kate and told her that she really couldn't come and get Tina today, and that she was tired. Lily yawned sleepily as she climbed onto the muggle transit and took the bus to Blevins. Normally she'd walk, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to make it the few blocks from St. Mungo's to her neighborhood.

She used her key to get into the building, climbing the flights of stairs as if each one led to doom. She wished that the lift worked on days like this. She finally made it to her apartment, slipping her key in the lock and pushing the door open. She froze, her heart racing as she realized that she wasn't alone.

The apartment was pitch-dark, thanks to too few windows and blackout curtains that helped Lily sleep during the day. She couldn't see anyone, but she could sense that there was another person in her apartment. She could hear breathing, low and steady, and there was a faint yet familiar scent lingering in the air. She reached for the light switch and the baseball bat she kept near the door. Her fingers bumped the bat, it clattering noisily to the ground.

"Lily?" a voice called out sleepily in the dark. Her hand flipped the light on, flooding the apartment with light. Scorpius was curled up on her couch with Skye, his jacket draped over his arms. He blinked sleepily at her.

"Scorpius, dear God you about gave me a heart attack!" Lily chastised as she pressed her hand to her heart. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back to talk to you," Scorpius said as he stretched and stood. "I thought you worked days today?"

"I had to pull a broken double," Lily said as she relaxed a little, closing the door and placing her keys in the basket by the table. She hung her coat up by the door and kneaded the back of her neck for a moment.

"Why didn't you come home in between shifts?" Scorpius asked. Lily shot him a dirty look.

"That's really none of your business, Scorpius," Lily reminded him. Scorpius nodded once. He looked tired.

"I was just worried, that's all," Scorpius said. Lily sighed and yawned. "Tired?"

"Yes," Lily said.

"Go ahead and sleep, we can talk later," Scorpius said as he sat back down on the futon. Lily looked at him.

"Don't you have to go to work?" Lily asked. Scorpius shrugged.

"There are more important things for me to do," Scorpius said. He looked at her looking at him with a critical eye. He laughed. "I have a few days off. I'm still banned from international travel for my behavior towards Rose."

"Ah," Lily said as she crept closer to the bathroom. He looked up and grinned.

"Go on ahead," Scorpius yawned. "I'll be here."

Lily went through her shower and changing of clothes as quickly as her full new figure would let her. She was towel drying her hair when she stepped out of the bathroom. Scorpius was sound asleep on the futon and Lily shook her head. She opened up the hall closet, pulling free an old knit blanket and she took his jacket, laying it on the table before covering him up with the blanket. She stole one last look at him before she headed to her bed. Sleep overcame her at once and consumed her fully.

Lily wasn't sure how long she had slept, but she was aware that at some point she wasn't alone. She didn't remember the bed moving, but she was nearly aware of the person pressing his face against her stomach and the quiet hum of talking. She yawned slightly, feeling a bit rested but like she could still sleep some. She looked down to see Scorpius in the glow of her alarm clock. He looked at her and smiled.

"Sorry to have woken you, Lils," Scorpius whispered quietly. "Bean and I were just chatting."

"You were?" Lily said smirking sleepily.

"Yeah," Scorpius said.

"What were you chatting about?" Lily asked.

"I was asking Bean if the room should be pink or blue," Scorpius said. Lily laughed slightly.

"And?" Lily murmured. Scorpius chuckled.

"I don't understand the Morse code so I am thinking I'll paint it yellow," Scorpius said. Lily thought a moment.

"What room?" Lily asked after she thought for a moment.

"The room in my apartment," Scorpius said naturally. Lily looked at him curiously. He had a hesitant smile on his face. "I'm assuming that you are going to at least grant me visitation with our son or daughter, right?"

"I…" Lily said as she frowned. She actually hadn't given much thought to Scorpius' roll in everything. He sighed and stood.

"Lily, you know I love you and I was stupid," Scorpius said sadly. "Even if you had done what I thought, I had no right to kick you out of your apartment. I was angry and I wanted to hurt you, and for that I'm sorry. Will you please move back into the apartment?"

"What?" Lily said.

"I've already decorated your nursery there," Scorpius said quietly as he looked away. He paced to her window, looking out.

"My nursery?" Lily asked.

"I just want you and the baby close, in case you both need anything," Scorpius said as he touched the ice-flecked window. Lily looked at him.

"I don't think that's going to work, Scorpius," Lily said honestly. Scorpius kept his back to her, waiting for her to continue. "You made it pretty clear that we're not together and I've… had to move on."

"I don't want you to think I am using it as a way to control you, Lily. I never expected you to wait on me," Scorpius said. "It was a given that you would move on, that someone else would claim your heart. I just want to be there for you both, my child and the mother of my child. You may not love me anymore, and rightly, but I still love you."

"Scorpius," Lily said sighing as she struggled into a sitting position. "It's not that."

"Just think about it, Lily, before you say no," Scorpius begged as he finally turned to look at her. "I want to be in my child's life, a part of it. I know you mentioned that Marshall would work opposite of you so that you could work and keep our child out of a center, but you don't need to, Lily. I am Bean's father. I should be the one to take care of our baby when you can't, not your boyfriend."

"Marshall's not my boyfriend," Lily told him sharply.

"Sorry, but that's not how it looks," Scorpius said crossly. Lily stood, glaring at him.

"I don't care how it looks," Lily said crossing her arms. "It's none of your business."

"It is my business that you would rather have some other man raise our child rather than me," Scorpius said crossing his own arms, glaring right back at her.

"No man is raising my child," Lily snapped. "I wanted you to raise our child and you made that decision early on. Marshall stepped up as a friend and has been nothing but the best towards me. He has accepted me, even when I've not always been acceptable. Do you know what it's like to be an unmarried twenty year old witch pregnant with the child of some affluent man? It's hell, Scorpius. I pretend not to hear the whispers, I ignore the looks. Hell, I even act like this is what I want. I want to be the single mother of a child that up until recently I believed wasn't wanted. And do you know how awful that makes me feel? That Bean wasn't wanted? I couldn't imagine my life without my baby, but it wasn't until I fell in love with the poor thing. I'm acting like I'm so strong, like I can handle this all on my own, and truthfully, I terrified. I'm so scared that it keeps me up some nights, pacing."

"What are you scared of?" Scorpius asked quietly as he watched Lily pace back and forth, her bed between them.

"Everything. What do I know about being a mother? My own mother wasn't around much when she was alive, and it's not like I have ever wanted to become a mom enough before Bean to actually pay attention to other mothers with their children," Lily said in a panic. "What if there really is something wrong with Bean. I have no hope in rearing a perfectly healthy child on my own, what kind of future would an unhealthy baby have? And what if something happens to me? My dad isn't getting any younger and my brothers all have families of their own. I'm terrified, truly terrified. I am going to screw this all up."

"Lily," Scorpius said quietly as Lily took a shuddering breath.

"No, you don't understand. What am I supposed to do if something happens to me? What'll happen to Bean? I can't leave all this to chance and I have no clue what I'm supposed to do," Lily snapped.

"Easy, Lily," Scorpius said as he rounded her bed quickly, grabbing her upper arms to keep her from turning away from him. He looked down at her wide, panic filled eyes. "What brought on this sudden terror-induced monologue."

"I don't know what the right choice is!" Lily wailed in exasperation.

"Well, what choices do you have and maybe you can work through them," Scorpius said as he continued to hold her arms. She didn't try to pull away, only bit her lip in thought.

"Marshall asked me to marry him," Lily said. Scorpius froze, not expecting that to come out of Lily's mouth.

"M-marry you?" Scorpius stuttered in shock.

"Yes," Lily said. "But I believe it's a ploy to keep me here in London."

"You're thinking about leaving London?" Scorpius asked after a second or two.

"I got a job offer to teach at Hogwarts," Lily confessed.

"But you love being a Healer," Scorpius protested.

"Be that as it may, I don't want to be like my mother and barely be around to watch my child grow up," Lily said biting her lip again. She looked at the torment in his eyes and added. "I only got the job offer, and the marriage proposal, today. Then you with this damn apartment offer, asking me to think about it like the rest of them, and I don't know what to do."

"What did Marshall say about the job?" Scorpius asked. Lily looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Why do you care?" Lily demanded.

"You and he are just really good friends, and as much as I despise the fact that he was the one who's been there even when I wouldn't be, he seems to have your best interest at heart," Scorpius said quietly, almost in defeat. "If you and he want to get married, as much as it kills me, I'll support your decision."

"I don't want marriage," Lily snapped. "I just want to know what the right thing to do is."

"Ok," Scorpius said.

"He thinks that I should ask you to come to the next ultrasound appointment," Lily said in quiet defeat. "He'd do whatever it takes to keep me here, even have me get back with you. He was willing to work two jobs so I could stay home and raise the baby."

"If that's what you want, I'll work two jobs and never be around you, Lily," Scorpius said quickly. "You can live in the apartment down the hall, you can date whomever makes you happy, but please don't take my baby away from me. Not now, not that I am helpless in love with the little ninja."

"Scorpius, I haven't decided what I am going to do," Lily said quietly.

"When is the next ultrasound appointment?" Scorpius asked suddenly. Lily thought a moment.

"A week from next Thursday. I'll be twenty six weeks and maybe if Bean cooperates, we'll be able to see if we're having a son or daughter. Will you come?" Lily asked quietly.

"Of course," Scorpius said quickly, reverently. "It will be the first time I get to see my child live. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Thank you," Lily said as she pulled away from him. "So… I guess we should go look at this nursery that you've gotten together at my old apartment. I dare say you ultimately hope I fall in love with it, don't you?"

"Hope? No. Pray to the Gods above, yes," Scorpius said. He looked at her earnestly. "You may have gotten over me, Lily Potter, but I'm not over you."

"Who ever said I was over you?" Lily taunted as she shut the door between the bedroom and living room, placing between them a barrier of wood.

"That's a start, Lily," Scorpius called through the door. "See you at the apartment."