POV: Teddy Lupin

I wiped my sweaty hands on the front of my hands and shook them out. I was pacing back and forth in front of Vicky's front door. I rang the doorbell for the third time and after a few more moments of anxious waiting, the door opened.

"Teddy!" She greeted me happily, pulling me in for a hug. "You look nervous, dear. Is everything alright?"

"I'm good, I'm good. It just took you a while to answer." This wasn't the reason why I was so anxious, but I wasn't going to tell her the truth. I was planning to propose tonight, and I wanted everything to be perfect.

I offered her my arm and she took it with a smile. I calmed down in her presence. Once I was sure she wouldn't let go, I apparated. We were sucked through the tube and landed in a dark alley.

"Lovely spot for dinner," Vicky joked. I chuckled and guided her out of the alley. We had to apparate where muggles wouldn't see us. We had to walk a little ways down the street to the restaurant.

I held the door open for her. "Thank you, Teddy." She went through and waited for me in the lobby.

There was a small line in front of us but it went past quick enough. "Table for two, reservation under 'Lupin'?" The woman behind the podium asked after I told her my name. I nodded.

"This place is so fancy, I hope you didn't spend too much money," Vicky whispered to me as we were being led to out table. I waved away her concern.

"You're worth it."

We sat down and I ordered us an expensive champagne. I was almost done with my Auror training and Vicky owned a popular clothing store in Diagon Alley. I wasn't worried about money. The server handed us our menus and then left.

"What looks good to you?" I asked, scanning the menu. I kind of wanted steak.

"Um, you might like their steak," she suggested. I chuckled a bit. We had been together for years, and it still surprised me how well she understood me. "I might get either pork or a salad and soup, what do you think?"

"Salad and soup," I told her. Whenever she tried something new, such as pork, she always hated it. Salad is always her safe order; it's kind of impossible to mess up a salad. I wanted everything to be absolutely perfect tonight, so that meant she had
to enjoy her food.

Vicky nodded and smiled into her menu. "What?" I asked.

"You look so cute when you're nervous," she giggled and I blushed, accidentally turning my hair red. I shook it back to my normal turquoise color before any muggles noticed. This, of course, made her giggles turn into a full out laugh that warmed my heart.
She pulled her white-blond hair over to her left shoulder and leaned forward.

"Calm down, Teddy. It's just dinner." She gripped my hand across the table. I took a deep breath and smiled at her. What if she said no? She was my favorite person in the world, she was my best friend and the love of my life. If she said no, I wouldn't
know how to cope.

I took a long sip of champagne to clear my nerves. "Have you two decided what you would like to eat?" The server asked when she came back. We nodded and told her our orders.

While we waited for the food, we talked and talked and I felt my anxiety bubbling down. However, the night did not go as perfect as I hoped.

Before we got our food, I heard loud heeled footsteps behind me. Vicky's eyes widened and I turned to see who it was. It was Andrea Carson, my ex-girlfriend. Back in Hogwarts, she was a Slytherin and we didn't end on the best terms. Therefore, I wasn't
too surprised when she spat "Lupin" at me and threw my drink in my face.

I sputtered and tried to wipe the alcohol off my face without getting it in my eyes. She stormed away and I shifted back in my seat. Vicky's mouth was wide open and she stood up, following Andrea out of the restaurant. I got up quickly and followed her.
She was standing in front of Andrea, and I hand to run up and hold her arms behind her back so that she wouldn't attack Andrea.

Andrea ran away. I let go of Vicky and she spun to face me. "How dare she do that! It's been four fucking years! What a b-" she cut off looking at my amused expression. Vick hardly ever swore but when she did I found it absolutely hilarious for some
reason.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before we both burst into laughter. I was sure my hair was rapidly changing colors but I couldn't care less. She pulled me by the arm back into the alley we had apparated into. Once we were covered in darkness,
she pushed me against the wall and kissed my fiercely.

I reacted immediately, running my hands through her hair and spinning us so she was the one against the wall. She put her finger through my belt loops and pulled me closer. We kissed each other hard and passionately. I pulled away, panting.

"What was that for?"

"You look so damn hot when you're wet," she explained. My eyes widened and I looked down to see that my white shirt had become see-through because of the champagne that had been thrown at me. It was also sticking to my abs and I laughed; I hadn't realized
how wet I was.

I took my wand from my back pocket and used a drying charm. Vicky pouted. "But I was enjoying the view," she complained teasingly.

I sighed. We didn't get to eat, we were interrupted by my crazy ex. This definitely wasn't going perfectly. "I'm hungry."

She laughed. "How about we just go to that McDonald's?" So we did.

She ordered a salad and I ordered a Big Mac. "Do you know what Dom was crying about the other day?" I asked. I know she told everyone that she was fine, but I was still concerned. Vicky nodded.

"But I can't tell you. Dom doesn't want anyone to know."

"Okay."

We talked about random things and somehow ended on the topic of kids. "How many would you want?"

"Three or four," I answered and she smiled radiantly.

"Me too!"

I couldn't put into words how much I loved her. She was so kind and protective and weird and brilliant and talented and beautiful. And so many other things that I could barely wrap my head around. She wasn't perfect, but she was so incredibly amazing
that I felt like my heart couldn't take the strain of how much love I felt for her.

She was currently rambling about the newest version of the dress line she had made. We finished up the food but we still had some fries left.

"Wanna' go for a walk?" I suggested. She nodded enthusiastically. I payed the bill and we took off. It wasn't too late yet, but the moon was out and it cast a silver glow on her long blond hair.

We shared the fries as we walked. All of a sudden, a large bird swooped down and took the fry in her had, accidentally biting her in the process. The bird flew away quickly and Vicky hissed when her hand started to bleed.

She looked to the sky and cried, "Why me?" She chuckled and sucked on the cut. I gently took her hand and ran my finger over the cut. I sneakily drew my wand and muttered a quick healing spell. The cut closed quickly.

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling softly at me. Her eyes were filled with so much love it made me dizzy. I took both of her hands in mine and kissed her gently on the lips. We walked onto the London Bridge. We were the only ones there. I took a shaky
breath and she looked at me knowingly.

"Okay, I know something has been bothering you all day. Please just tell me!" She begged. Okay, this was it. You can do this, Teddy. You can do it, I told myself.

I dropped onto one knee in a fluid motion and took the box out of my pocket. I opened the box, showing her the glittering ring.

Then, with the simplest statement, I asked, "Will you marry me?"