Dear Leo,

I went to meet you, and you weren't there. Did something happen? Is everything alright? After your last letter, it didn't make sense that you just wouldn't show up.

I've been trying to come up with excuses for you, but my mind either goes to something horrible, like you're somewhere dead in a gutter, or to something completely out of character for you. There's probably a perfectly logical explanation, but my mind can't help running away with itself sometimes. Is there a reason you left me waiting for you? I felt foolish, sitting there and waiting for something that was never coming.

I wasn't alone forever, although I would have much preferred your company to what I ended up with. You remember the insufferable git I told you about? Well, he managed to be so once again. Although, I was more of a git than he was this time. You know how I always wanted the ability to actually speak my mind to horrible people who deserve it? You were right to warn me. I thought it felt good at first, but the more I went on, the worse it became. I felt horrible afterwards. I'm not a cruel person, but I was tonight. I don't think I truly meant what I said, but to be honest, I was embarrassed that he'd found me in such a vulnerable position and I snapped when he managed to push the right buttons. Or maybe I should say the wrong ones. I never want to be the type of person that causes unnecessary pain. The look on his face was enough to make me want to take it all back the moment I'd said it. I suppose it's too late now.

I'm not blaming my actions on your failure to be there. My actions are my own. I do know it would have been a much nicer evening if you'd shown up. I don't know what happened so I won't hold it against you, especially since you've given me no reason to think you wouldn't do everything in your power to meet me, but you can't blame me for wondering what went wrong. I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope you're alright.

Daisy

The letter had arrived early the following morning before the sun was even fully up, accompanied by one from Al as well, stating he'd be over in a few hours with lunch in tow. Scorpius wasn't looking forward to having that particular conversation. He had spent a fitful night trying to sleep. Archie was still passed out on his couch, as he had been all day, by the time Scorpius got home the night before. It had been easy to keep Archie from accompanying him to go meet Rose. It helped that Scorpius hadn't been able to get him any Pepper Up, which left him feeling miserable most of the day. Scorpius wasn't even sure Archie knew he'd gone out.

Scorpius still didn't know what had possessed him to think that going to meet her could possibly be a good idea. He'd originally decided not to, but even though Al had confirmed things for him, he found he couldn't quite believe it was true until he actually laid eyes on Rose in the cafe, blue scarf and book in tow. When he arrived, he'd simply stood outside and stared through the window at her, watching as her head snapped up every time someone walked through the front door. There was something unnerving about watching someone expecting something to happen, when you knew full well they were only going to be disappointed. Something about the sight had compelled him and against his better judgment, he'd decided to go in, thinking that if they actually managed to have a decent conversation, he'd maybe tell her. He'd even brought her last few letters along as proof. But things had gone far from well, and Scorpius was left feeling even more broken and miserable than he had for the majority of the day.

Reading her letter made his heart ache. He wanted this girl. The one in the letters. She trusted him and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Why couldn't he just have her without all the complications that came with her being Rose Weasley?

After sending a still groggy Archie out the door that morning and expertly fending off his questions, Scorpius sat at his desk and opened the draw that housed all of the letters she'd ever sent. He began rifling through them, looking for any clues that would have allowed him to see this coming sooner. He stopped on a letter that was dated from October.

I know I don't mention my family much. I don't really mind talking about them, but I prefer not to reveal too much in general, no matter who I'm talking to. I can't really explain why but that's just the way it is. One of my cousins is actually having a birthday party soon and I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not. My family can be a lot to handle.

If that didn't sound like the Weasleys and the Potters, he didn't know what did. He had even gone to that party! She was talking about Lily! He moved on to the next letter and the nex and, while it wasn't obvious, the evidence was stacking up against him. She'd clearly talked about Dom's marriage issues and how she was in the middle of that. She even talked about him and how he'd had a go at her at the hospital and how she was facing competition on a business level. She'd even mentioned him in the last letter she'd sent.

How had he been so blind? She worked in potions, she had a large family, and he'd even seen the issue of the magazine with her article in it on the counter at her shop, even when it was months old. That couldn't have been a coincidence. He was beyond frustrated with himself. Especially when he read some of the truly wonderful things she'd written to him. The things that had made him fall for this girl.

So I guess the question is, do you want to put in the effort to plan and dream with this person? Would losing that opportunity rip your heart out? Do you see them in the things you do throughout your day? Are you hardly able to wait to tell them about the little things you saw that reminded you of them? I've seen that kind of love, but I haven't found it yet. I hope to, one day. And if you have, I'd say do everything you can to hold onto it.

That was the Daisy he knew and had easily fallen for. But falling for Rose Weasley? That had been the furthest thing from the plan. He'd always liked her fiery spirit when they were in school. It was part of the reason she'd intrigued him and he'd sometimes even gone out of his way to get a rise out of her. Although he never really had to. Rose seemed to have taken issue with him from day one. It hadn't always been malicious, though. Sometimes he even thought she didn't really dislike him as much as she led him to believe. But somewhere along the way, he'd crossed some sort of line she'd put in place, and he didn't know if it was possible for him to ever fix that. Maybe she seemed remorseful in her letter, but did that mean she would ever see him as anything other than someone who always seemed to be in her way? Her words had stung, and despite her letter, still infuriated him. She knew him well enough to know where to strike to cause the most pain. But did that mean she meant it?

Maybe she hadn't. He wasn't exactly proud of the way he'd behaved. He'd provoked her, where as he could have gone in there and actually made an effort to be civil, even friendly. But he'd let his frustrations get the better of him. His original plan may have been to see if he could actually tell her, but old habits die hard, and it had been all too easy to relapse. And how was Rose to know that the person she'd expected to show up actually had? Of course she'd be angry and upset when the last person she probably wanted to see wound up ruining her night. He would have been too. If the roles had been reversed, he would have been so devastated and embarrassed that Daisy hadn't shown up, he probably would have lashed out as well. There was also the fact that his business was in serious danger of threatening hers, so no matter how friendly he tried to be, she only saw it as condescending or fake.

So yes, Rose Weasley had good reason to be upset with him last night, but as far as he was concerned, that was no excuse to unnecessarily bring his family into it. He wasn't sure he could forgive that part.

Nothing was turning out as he had expected. This wasn't the girl he'd gotten to know over the past few months. This wasn't Daisy.

Daisy. There was another clue. Of course she picked another flower for her pen name. If she really thought about it, she'd probably be able to come up with his true identity as well, seeing as he'd simply picked another constellation.

No matter how he felt about Rose, his real problem lay in the fact that he still had no idea what to do. Did he keep writing to her as Leo? Pretend he hadn't actually shown up that night and give some excuse? Did he tell Rose the truth? Neither of those sounded like solid options, but he knew he owed her some sort of explanation. While he was angry with Rose, he couldn't bring himself to feel the same about Daisy. And he'd made mistakes last night too. He could own those. He'd seen how much it distressed her that he hadn't shown up, and he'd just sat there and mocked her for it. She deserved something for having to endure that.

Taking a deep breath, he shoved the letters back in the drawer, picked up a quill and blank piece of parchment, and tried very hard to come up with something to say.

Dear Daisy

Let me first apologize for what happened last night. It pains me to say I have no good excuse to offer. Trust that I wanted so badly for that night to be everything we both dreamed it could.

I'm sorry you had to endure what you did because I wasn't there for you the way I should have been. You expected someone warm and familiar to you, and received something you never wanted instead. I know you well enough to realize you were most likely provoked, but I understand regret all too well, no matter the circumstances. We've all been there. We've all said things when we're angry and upset that we probably normally wouldn't. I know this all too well.

I'm so sorry for causing you pain. That wasn't my intention. I wish I could explain everything to you fully, and I hope that someday I will.

Leo

Rose stared at the words, trying to find more meaning in them but frustratingly unable to. His response had been more prompt than she'd expected, and the letter was waiting for her when she arrived at the shop on Monday morning before opening. It was also shorter than she'd hoped.

It was December now, and the cold gray of the sky served to represent the cloud that had hung over her the last twenty-four hours. Had he simply decided not to come? Maybe it was a family emergency. But he could have simply told her if his mum were in the hospital or his father was on his deathbed. Granted, those were difficult things to relay, so she couldn't blame him if he chose not to tell her.

As upset as she was, she also appreciated his words when it came to her interaction with Scorpius. Maybe Malfoy would never forgive her, but at least someone understood. She'd been having an ongoing crisis of conscience since the moment she'd let those hateful words come flying out of her mouth. Not wanting to believe she was just a horrible person, Rose hoped she had a good reason for not just her words, but the amount of contempt she'd always seemed to harbor for Scorpius Malfoy. However, she found herself running from the question, unwilling to face it. She wasn't ready for the truth.

There was a light knock on the still locked glass front door, and Rose was pleasantly surprised to see Dom waving at her. She smiled brightly at Rose, who moved out from behind the counter to go open the door, pulling Dom into a hug as soon as she was in the building.

"I'm sorry I've been a little off the radar," Dom apologized. Rose released her, closing and locking the door since they still had ten minutes before she had to open.

"Don't worry about it," Rose assured her as they moved into the office behind the counter. "I'm sure you and Ben had quite a bit of catching up to do."

Dom blushed as she sat in one of the chairs facing Rose's desk, which Rose perched herself on. "It's been really good. I know the last few months have been rough for us, but I think you were right. There was a lot more going on than we realized and we just needed a bit of a push to sort things out. It almost seems like things are better than ever."

Rose smiled at her cousin, truly happy that she and Ben had managed to work things out. "Have you told anyone else about the baby?"

"Louis already knows and we're telling my parents today," she said in excitement. "And we're waiting till Lizzie and Marcus are home for Christmas and same for Vic and Teddy."

A touch of sadness struck Rose at the rather obvious omission, and she could see the same thing in Dominiques eyes.

"Has Ben been okay? I know he's excited about the baby, but it must be hard to know his parents won't be around for this."

Dom nodded, taking a deep breath to still the tears that Rose saw beginning to gather in her eyes. "He's letting himself be excited right now. We had a bit of a moment when we discussed telling everyone, but we've been trying not to think about it too much."

Rose couldn't imagine what that must feel like. She couldn't picture being in Dom's position and not being able to share that with her parents. Ben's mother and father had been killed in a freak accident while working in the Experimental Charms Department at the Ministry the year after he and Dom had gotten married. It had taken its toll on not only Ben and his siblings, but Dom and her family as well. They'd all stuck together through it all, and Lizzie and Marcus now lived with Ben and Dom during the holidays.

"I meant what I said, by the way," Dom went on. "About you being godmother. Ben and I talked about it a little more, and it'll probably be you and James. You've really been there for me the past few months and even longer than that. I've always been able to count on you. I want our child to have that too. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course it's alright," said Rose with a smile, and Dom grinned back at her.

"I actually stopped by to see what you were doing this coming weekend. We were thinking of having the cousins over for dinner before Lizzie and Marcus come home so we can tell everyone. I know you already know, but I'd still like you to be there."

"I'd love to!" Rose responded enthusiastically. "I can even help with dinner if you'd like."

Dom looked extremely relieved by the offer. "Thanks. We're thinking Saturday. Molly is supposed to be getting in on Friday so that gives her a day to settle in."

Rose nodded, all her thoughts now on the cousin that none of them had seen since she moved to France. "I can't believe it's been three years."

Dom had a gloomy look on her face. "It's getting close to four now. I hope it goes well. From the letters I've gotten she seems fine."

"Same," Rose said with a sigh. "As much as I've missed her, I think leaving was good for her. I barely recognized her by the time she left."

Dom gave a scornful scoff. "Yeah, thanks to Davies. He put her through hell."

Rose tilted her head quizzically. "Did she ever tell you what happened?"

Dom shook her head. "Nope. I don't think even Abigail knows the whole truth. Same goes for Al."

"Well, maybe the fact that Al's still friends with him means something. He can't be too horrible of a person if he's friends with Al. Then again, Al is friends with Scorpius Malfoy. Al is a good person, right?"

Dom let out a laugh at that, and Rose couldn't help but join in.

"I think so," Dom said, controlling her laughter. "And maybe you're right, but I still can't help but blame the bastard. He definitely didn't help thing."

When he and Molly were dating, Rose had always liked Archie. But when he'd noticeably started to pull away, no one in the family had taken too kindly to it. Especially when Molly was already going through a difficult time. She'd begun working in her father's department at the Ministry, but those closest to her knew that was never something she really wanted to do. She'd always loved history and wanted to study to be a Magical Historian, but had succumbed to familial pressures and took an entry level position at the ministry when she'd left Hogwarts the same year as Rose. It had been fine for awhile, but it had eventually worn on her. And then for some reason things had started to go south in her relationship, and she emotionally exhausted herself to the point where she'd shown up at Rose's flat and had a nervous breakdown the night she'd broken up with Archie. Dom had been over at the time and they were the only ones who witnessed it, though Rose was pretty certain word had gotten back to Archie about what had happened. Although, he'd probably witnessed Molly's progression into the emotional state she'd already been in when she showed up at Rose's flat. Once she'd calmed down, Dom and Rose had supported Molly's hastily made decision to accept an apprenticeship that she'd been offered to study in France, and she'd left a week later.

No one else got much of an explanation, other than Abigail, but most were able to gather that she and Archie hadn't ended things on the best of terms. She hadn't even come home for Christmas since she'd left, her family choosing to visit her instead. But with her sister getting married, she couldn't avoid it much longer. The wedding wasn't until February, but Lucy had convinced her sister to come for Christmas so they could get all of the wedding preparations done that she wanted her sister there for. Molly had ended up being able to afford a month off, which meant they would be able to do dress fittings and have a bridal shower and whatever else Lucy wanted her sister's help with, without having to cram it all in over Christmas weekend.

Dom stayed until it was time for her to head to work and Rose to open the shop. When Jane finally showed up, she rushed right over to Rose with an excited glint in her eyes.

"Well?" she asked. Rose gave her an annoyed look as she finished ringing out a customer. Once they'd left, Rose turned to her friend with a sigh, struggling to come up with a response.

"He, uh, didn't make it."

Jane stared blankly at her, and Rose moved around the counter and through the store to the back.

"So, wait. He just didn't show up?" Jane clarified as she followed.

"Nope," Rose said as she busied herself with organizing some of the stock in the back room. Jane looked aghast at this news.

"But that makes no sense! He pushed for this and he seemed so thrilled to meet you!"

"I know," Rose said. "I'm just as baffled as you are."

"There has to be some reason he wasn't there. He doesn't seem like the type of bloke to do this. Maybe he had to Floo in from another part of the country and something went wrong. Or," Jane said with wide eyes. "He decided to come by broom and crashed into a tree and wound up in Mungo's"

"I think he would have said if that was the case, and I got a letter from him this morning. I doubt he would have been able to write me if he were incapacitated in a hospital," said Rose skeptically, reaching down to grab a box of empty vials off the floor. "Anyway, I think it's far more likely he showed up, didn't like what he saw, and left."

Jane let out a bark of laughter, apologizing as Rose frowned at her reaction.

"Sorry, but that's not possible."

"Well, I don't know what happened then," Rose said as she placed the box on a shelf.

"What did he say? Are you going to write him back?" Jane asked, following her out into the shop at the sound of the bell on the front door.

"I actually wrote first," Rose replied. "I fully believed he had a very good reason for not showing up and I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn't clear on that in his response. He just apologized."

"Are you going to keep writing him?"

Rose paused at the question. She honestly wasn't sure yet, but if she kept to schedule, she didn't have to decide for another week. However, she fully expected herself to be unable to keep from reaching out as soon as it was time.

The work day carried on, and part of her was worried that Scorpius Malfoy would try and stop by, either to antagonize her more or maybe get even, but she didn't see him all day. She didn't even end up seeing him all week. By the time Friday rolled around, she'd allowed herself to almost completely forget about her run in with Scorpius the previous weekend, and all the guilt that went with it.

Rose was getting ready to head to Dom's on Friday afternoon, when the sound of someone knocking on the door to her flat paused her in her efforts. She continued trying to put in her earrings as she went to answer, and was surprised to see Abel with a bouquet of roses.

She looked at him in surprise. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

He seemed uncertain of the answer to this question, so he asked one himself instead. "Can I come in?"

"For a minute," said Rose, not sure if this was actually a good idea, but unable to just ask him to leave. She moved back to let him enter. "I have to be at Ben and Dom's soon."

She made her way back to the bathroom where she'd been getting ready and he followed her at an awkward distance.

"I brought you these," he said, leaning against the doorframe and gesturing with the roses.

"Thanks," she said with a forced smile. They hadn't really talked since she'd gone to meet Leo, and she wasn't sure now was the right time to do what she'd been planning on all week. She did know that this forced awkwardness couldn't continue much longer.

"You look nice," he said after a beat of uncomfortable silence, taking in her somewhat tamed hair. She was wearing fitted dark jeans and a dark green jumper that was on the slightly nicer side.

"You didn't answer my question," she said, looking at him in the mirror as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I guess I wanted to apologize. I know you're still upset about my parents canceling and then me canceling again this week. I'm sorry."

Rose sighed, turning and looking at him for a moment before brushing past and moving down the hall towards her living room.

"I'm not upset about that," she told him honestly, moving to sit on her couch. He followed and sat in one of the chairs across from her rather than next to her. "I'm just realizing that maybe this isn't working."

His jaw clenched, and he looked at the flowers that were still in his hands before meeting her apologetic eyes.

"I really wanted it to," he said, and she truly believed he meant that.

"I know. You've been sweet and it's been easy, for the most part." she assured him. "But we barely see each other and most of the time I'm fine with that. Shouldn't we want to try harder?"

He sighed and set the flowers on the table, running a hand over his face. "You're probably right. But maybe, now that we realize that, this could actually work?"

Rose had to keep herself from wincing at the hope in his voice. This was going to be a little more painful than she thought, then. "I'm sorry. But that's not what I want."

He contemplated her for a moment, and Rose knew she was going to have to give some more answers when he gave a small nod. "Alright then. I guess I can respect that. I'm just not sure when all that changed. You wanted to meet my parents just a few weeks ago."

"I know," said Rose, feeling guilt wash over her. "I guess you were right about me wanting proof this was going somewhere, but I think part of the reason I pushed it was because I knew it wasn't right, and I didn't want that to be true."

A look of resignation appeared on his face, and he thankfully seemed to accept this reasoning. She didn't want to get into the whole Leo thing unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I guess you can't force things," he said in resignation. "And I appreciate the fact that you tried."

Rose felt relief wash over her at his words. "Thank you. And I really am sorry."

He gave a wave of dismissal as he stood, Rose doing the same. "It's alright. I think a part of me knew it wasn't going to last. Some people just don't work, you know? Nothing you can really do about it but accept it and move on."

Rose nodded. "I think I've known that was the case for a while. I'm sorry if I let this go too long."

He grimaced. "Nah, it's alright. I've been in denial myself. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Not sure what else to say, Rose awkwardly moved towards the door. He followed her and paused before leaving, looking at her in an almost wistful way. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," said Rose. "I'll be at the benefit, so…"

He nodded, and leaned forward to press a brief kiss to the top of her head before bidding her goodbye and making his way back out into the cold December afternoon. Letting out a sigh that contained weeks worth of guilt and uncertainty, Rose closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. She was thankful that it hadn't been any type of blow up, but she didn't expect that with Abel. He was too easy going. But she hated to disappoint anyone, and he had wanted to see if they could try to make it work. At least he hadn't pushed too hard for an explanation and actually understood where she was coming from. The roses he'd left sitting on her coffee table were just another reminder of how little he knew her. He'd always bought her roses, never even bothering to ask what her favorite flower actually was.

Shaking herself out of her melancholy thoughts, she put on her coat and headed out to the alley behind her building so she could Apparate to Ben and Dom's street. The smell of already baking meat pies greeted her as she gave a quick knock before letting herself in.

"Thank heaven you're here," said Dom, as Rose made her way into the kitchen to find her cousin covered in flour. There were still a few pies that hadn't been baked yet and she looked at Rose with a bit of panic in her eyes. "Can you work on the vegetables? I didn't give myself quite enough time and Ben had to stay later than expected at work today."

Jumping into Grandma Molly mode, Rose quickly donned an apron and within fifteen minutes, there were four squash casseroles ready to go in the oven once the last few meat pies came out.

The sound of the floo signaled the arrival of Ben, and Dom scampered out of the kitchen. Rose followed just in time to see Ben kiss his wife in greeting before squatting and kissing her still flat belly.

"How was today?" he asked, standing to face her with his hands on her waist and his thumbs rubbing her stomach.

"Not bad," Dom replied. "I felt sick this morning and I no longer have a taste for apples, but everything else was normal."

"Good," he said with a smile, giving Dom one last kiss before noticing they were being watched.

"Hi, Rose. Thanks for giving her a hand."

Rose gave a nod in response as Dom moved back into the kitchen and Ben took off his coat. "It smells delicious. When's everyone getting here?"

"Fred and Dani should be here by six but I told everyone half past. She's bringing some desserts and wants to put some finishing touches on them here," Dom hollered from the kitchen. Ben and Rose joined her as she started to try and grab plates from one of the cabinets. With an exasperated sigh, Ben flicked his wand and they magically started stacking themselves on the counter. Dom gave her husband a sheepish expression as he moved forward and hugged her from behind.

"Pregnancy brain is a real thing, apparently," Dom said, sounding a little embarrassed. "I keep forgetting I can use magic."

Rose and Ben chuckled. He placed a kiss on Dom's temple and told her he'd get the table ready and set.

"You should rest," he told her, looking like he'd take no argument as he went to rearrange the furniture so there was space in the living room for a table large enough to fit their large family.

"He's quite the doting husband," Rose commented as she moved to take the meat pies out of the oven and replace them with the casseroles.

"I know," Dom said, trying to sound annoyed but unable to keep from grinning.

Dani and Fred showed up and she got to work putting the finishing touches on the puddings while Dom excused herself to clean up and get ready. Fred helped Ben with getting the rest of the place in order and the table all set so they were basically ready to go by the time everyone else started arriving.

Roxanne got there first, immediately going to chat with her sister-in-law about whatever gossip she'd picked up and was going to be in her next article for Witch Weekly. She was closely followed by Lily and then Hugo, both of whom brought bottles of wine. James showed up next, still in his Quidditch robes after training and heading to the bathroom to change. Louis arrived a few minutes later, letting them know that the first snow of the season had started to fall. And next came Lucy and her fiancé Wesley with Molly in tow. The squeals of delight and the tears of joy as the cousins embraced their long lost relative was enough to stall any progress made toward dinner for a solid five minutes, which was lengthened even more when Al and Abigail showed up with baby Holly. Rose thought it had something to do with the residual pregnancy hormones, but she'd never seen Abigail quite so emotional as when she embraced her best friend.

As Dani and Roxanne sorted out the drinks, Rose stuck close to Molly, who was now holding baby Holly and looking so much happier than Rose had remembered seeing her in the months before she left for France.

"I remember when Amelia was this small," Molly said as she gazed at Holly. "She's so big now in comparison."

It was nice to remember that Molly hadn't been completely separated from family. Having Teddy and Victoire nearby had made her absence easier to bear for the rest of them. Rose was actually a little envious of Molly for being able to watch little Amelia grow up.

"You have to tell us all about France and your apprenticeship," Dom insisted. "I know we get some things from your letters but it's definitely not enough."

Molly chuckled. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for all of that. I want to hear all about your lives as well," she said, looking at each cousin surrounding her in turn.

"We're ready!" Roxanne called, and Molly handed Holly back to Abigail as they all made their way to the table. Eleven Weasleys and Potters, along with three by marriage and one soon to be joining the family, jabbered away as they enjoyed their meal. Rose felt joy fill her at the sight of Molly's smile and the sound of Hugo's laughter. Holly was passed around as various cousins and aunts and uncles cooed over her. The twinkle in Dom's eye as she held the little girl was not unnoticed by Rose, and they all laughed when Fred held Holly and suggested to Dani that they just take this one instead of going through the pain of childbirth themselves. After this comment, Rose saw Ben and Dominique give each other nervous grins, and Rose couldn't help but shoot a smile at Louis, who was sat across from her and winked in response. They all turned their attention to Ben when he loudly cleared his throat and tapped on his glass.

"We're really happy you all were able to be here, especially those we haven't seen in awhile." He shot a smile at Molly who blushed slightly but grinned at him. "It isn't exactly a secret that we hit a bit of a rough patch lately, and we're so grateful for family during times like that."

Dom reached out and grasped his hand that was sitting on the table. He squeezed hers in return, giving her a grateful smile. "We're better for our trials. And we're better for the people in our lives. We're thankful to have you all."

He paused, but he had everyone's full attention as Dom gave him an encouraging nod. "And we're even more thankful," he continued, a smile bursting onto his face as he had eyes only for his wife. "That this family is about to get even bigger."

There were a few clatterings of cutlery as the people who had continued to eat dropped their forks. James had been in the middle of a sip of wine and a dazed Lily pounded on his back from her seat next to him. Nobody said anything for a moment as Dominique beamed at her husband. Then Roxanne let out a rather shrill question.

"You're pregnant?!"

There was an outcry of congratulations as Dom nodded, and people were standing up to hug the expecting parents.

"When are you due?" Lily asked.

"How long have you known?" inquired Dani

"That's brilliant!" James exclaimed once he'd stopped choking. Ben and Dom answered all the questions everyone had, and made them promise not to tell Teddy and Victoire until they'd been able to.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Abigail said to Rose from her seat beside her. "Lucy and Wes are getting married, Al and I just became parents, Dom and Ben are having a baby, and Fred and Dani want to as well. When did we all grow up?"

Rose laughed, and couldn't help but lovingly look around the room, her troubles momentarily forgotten, wondering the same thing herself.

A/N: Thank you for the overwhelming response to the last chapter! I understand a lot of you were upset with Rose, which is totally understandable. Just stick with her! I realize we don't address a lot of that on her end in this chapter, but the next one picks up right where this leaves off so some fun cousin conversations ahead :)

I plan to continue with the Wednesday updates! I realize that's different depending on where you are, so Wednesday in the states.

Y'all are amazing! Happy Reading :)