By the time the weekend of Lucy and Wesley's wedding rolled around, Rose and Scorpius had scarcely had one day to spend together.

Rose had started working more in her lab at St. Mungo's, and Scorpius was making sure the shop opening went off without a hitch. There had been a few times that week where they'd planned to spend time together, but something always came up. And with Rose helping with the wedding, it was just one more thing to keep them apart.

Rose was disappointed, but actually not too frustrated by the situation. The distance gave her time to get used to the idea of being with Scorpius before having to seriously act on it. She was still nervous and unsure every time she saw him. If she were honest, she'd been hoping everything would just fall perfectly into place as soon as she told him how she felt, but it hadn't been as smooth as all that.

Not that it had been bad. He'd stopped by her shop so they could grab lunch one day, and her nerves had faded until it had been all smiles and butterflies on her end. It surprised her how much they were able to talk about. They still somewhat skirted around the topic of their businesses competing with each other, but their research and other aspects of the job were widely traversed in their conversations. She'd returned his gesture by stopping by the new store on a day that she knew he'd be there. They'd gone to a cafe to grab coffee before heading back to their work days with plans to have dinner that night, but Molly had gotten in touch with Rose last minute to ask for help with flower arrangements for the wedding that would be taking place three days later.

Rose had gone over to Scorpius' flat for dinner the following day instead, her stomach a jumble of nerves and her heart beating wildly in anticipation. It would be the first time they'd truly be alone with each other while fully aware of how they both felt. She had no idea where the night would lead, and she was beginning to think she'd be unable to find out. Archie and Molly had shown up when they were halfway through dinner, nervous and determined.

"You two have the worst timing," Scorpius groaned, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration as he answered the door. "And you better have a damn good reason for being here,"

They both looked apologetically at Rose, who stood in the doorway of the kitchen as they entered the flat. She joined Scorpius on the couch as Archie and Molly stood in front of them.

"What's this all about?" asked Rose, noticing how Molly was fidgeting with her gloved hands.

"There're a few things we need to tell you," Archie began, "and the first is that I'll be moving to France permanently as soon as I can get everything in order here."

Rose chanced a glance at Scorpius, knowing he'd be happy for his friend but also disappointed he'd be leaving. She didn't blame him for that. She felt the same.

"And we're not saying we'll be there forever," Molly was quick to jump in. "My apprenticeship still has the rest of the year left, and after that, who knows. But, there's something else."

As she spoke, Molly pulled off her gloves, and Rose's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she noticed the diamond ring on her cousin's finger.

"What?!" Rose hollered as she stood from the couch. She reached out to grab Molly's hand and confirm that she wasn't imagining things. Sure enough, a half carat diamond ring sat on Molly's finger.

"Bloody hell, mate," said Scorpius, who'd stood to get a good look over Rose's shoulder. He had a giant grin on his face as he looked at Archie. "When did you do that?"

"Late last night," he said proudly. "I've been wanting to do it for weeks, but I wanted to check with her family first. Especially Lucy. I didn't want to take away from her big day, but she practically forced me to do it the minute after I told her I wanted to."

"My family are the only ones who know," said Molly, her smile radiant as she looked at her fiance before turning back to Rose. "And now the two of you."

Rose hardly knew what to say. She was ecstatic for them both, but it was all still so new that they were even back together in the first place.

"When?" she finally asked. "And where?"

"The proposal or the wedding?" Molly asked in amusement.

"Both, I suppose," said Rose, moving to resume her seat on the couch. Scorpius followed her, and Molly sat in one of the chairs, Archie sitting on the arm.

"Well, we were packing up stuff in his flat after we finished up with the flowers, and he suggested we take a break. Next thing I knew we were sitting on the couch drinking tea, and he had a ring in his hand."

She beamed up at Archie and grasped his hand with both of hers. Rose didn't know Archie as well as she knew Molly, but she could honestly say that she'd never seen either of them happier.

"Felt like I'd made enough of a fuss when I got her back," Archie joked.

"I liked the way you did it," Molly told him. "Simple and just us."

"But you've only been back together for a month, if that," Rose couldn't help saying. "Are you sure it's not too soon?"

Molly and Archie shared a look that said Rose's words had been exactly what they'd expected to hear.

"We've both spent a long time wanting this and thinking it would never happen," said Molly, her expression still content and full of joy. "We don't see a reason to wait any longer."

"Well, I think I can speak for both of us when I say we're thrilled for you," said Scorpius, his arm going around Rose's waist and effectively silencing her before she could ask any more questions. "And not to be rude, but is there a reason you had to come and tell us now?"

Rose gave him a pointed look, but Archie and Molly laughed.

"Fair point," said Archie. "And that sort of goes with why we decided not to put this off. Molly's taken so much time away from work for her sister's wedding, that she won't really be able to afford to do it again the rest of the year. And we really don't want to wait that long. Plus, we want to get married here so her whole family can come, and since everyone will be here this weekend for Lucy's wedding…"

He trailed off, and the newly engaged couple looked at Rose and Scorpius with almost guilty expressions, and the couple on the couch could do nothing but sit in stunned silence as this new development sunk in.

"You're joking, right?" Rose finally managed to say. Molly shook her head.

"Mum and Lucy and I managed to find a dress today, and Lucy's letting me reuse some of her flowers. She and Wes weren't planning on leaving for their honeymoon till Monday anyway, so it works out nicely. It'll be simple, and we'll do it at the Burrow."

They all sat in silence for a few more moments before Scorpius spoke up, an incredulous smile on his face.

"You're getting married on Sunday?"

Archie nodded, beaming with happiness and pride. "You'll be best man, yeah?"

Scorpius gave a disbelieving laugh and stood, Archie doing the same. The friends shook hands before pulling each other into a brotherly embrace. Rose drew her attention back to Molly at the sound of her name.

"Seeing as Lucy will have gotten married the day before, she's agreed to be my matron of honor, which is going to be more of a title than anything. I need someone to stand next to me and help get all of this to actually happen, and there's no one else I want by my side. So, would you be my maid of honor?"

Rose's shock had started to fade, and she was finally able to truly feel happiness and excitement for her cousin. She felt touched by Molly's words, and couldn't manage much more than a smile and a nod as she stood to embrace her cousin; someone who'd been through so much and was still so strong and able to love so deeply.

Molly quickly filled them in on what needed doing before Sunday, giving each of them tasks and jobs to do. Rose felt excitement rush through her. It was a crazy plan, but it was one she was more than happy to be a part of.

"We don't need to start tonight, do we?" Scorpius asked once she was finished. Molly seemed a bit surprised by the question.

"Not if you think you can get it done over the next two days," she said uncertainly.

"I think that's manageable," Scorpius said with a nod and a straightforward tone. "If that's all, we've got a dinner to be getting on with."

Rose looked at Scorpius in exasperated embarrassment, but he had a very no nonsense attitude about him as Molly and Archie quickly excused themselves and left the flat.

Scorpius turned to face her as soon as the door had closed behind the future Mr. and Mrs. Davies. He wore a pleased smirk, and Rose arched an unimpressed brow at him.

"You didn't have to be so rude."

"I prefer to think of it as proactive," he said, grinning playfully as he walked towards her. Doing her best to keep a straight face, she responded.

"Well, if you're so intent on finishing your dinner…"

Rose turned and made her way back into the kitchen, taking a seat and starting back in on the chicken he'd roasted. He followed and sat beside her at the round table, and she cast a quick glance his way to see him smiling in amusement.

"I can't believe they're actually going to do this," Rose said after they'd eaten in silence for a few moments.

"Why?" Scorpius asked, taking a sip of his wine and looking at her curiously.

"Because it's so sudden," she said as if it were obvious. "They've barely been back together a month, and they've been engaged for a day, and-"

"And they've loved each other since they were eighteen," Scorpius reasoned. "Maybe they haven't been together that whole time, but if you're sure you want something, why wait?"

Rose watched Scorpius as he calmly ate his meal, his words causing her thoughts to run in circles.

"You're not planning on asking me to marry you, right?"

Scorpius looked up at her with a raised brow, chewing his chicken in a contemplative manner before answering.

"Not anytime soon."

He was smirking at her, but Rose's heart started pounding a little harder at the honesty in his eyes.

"Oh," she managed to say, before quickly pulling her eyes from him and drinking the remainder of her wine much too quickly. She heard Scorpius sigh and saw him move his chair slightly closer out of the corner of her eye.

"Look," he said in a calm voice, placing one arm on the back of her chair and looking very much like he wanted to somehow reach out and touch her. She met his soft gaze with an uncertain one of her own.

"I'm not an idiot. I know we've got a long way to go before we're ever ready for something like that. We've only been together for less than a week, but I've had more time to get used to the idea of us than you have. I realize that means I might come on a little strong at times."

It was amazing how much his words could affect her. She immediately felt most of the nerves that had sprung up start to dissipate. Even enough for her to reach out and rest her hand on his knee and give him a small smile.

"It's alright. I've never really been with anyone who was quite so upfront about how they feel. It's refreshingly terrifying."

Scorpius chuckled, and she smiled at the sound. His hand came back from around her chair to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.

"I hope that's a good thing," he said softly. Rose smiled, giving him a small nod.

"I'm still getting used to this, like you said, but I think you taking down your walls will help me take down mine. It already has."

His smile became a little brighter and his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb running lightly against it. "I think you're doing better than you think you are," he assured her. "Not many relationships start with a confession of love."

Rose felt her face warming under his touch and his words. Neither of them had confessed those feelings to each other since that first time. They'd both steered clear of the topic. For Rose's part, it was because she didn't feel it made sense to be saying that already. Even though she truly believed that was how she felt, she couldn't help thinking she might have said it in the heat of the moment. Except that she'd planned it, so it couldn't have been. He hadn't even said it yet when she blurted it out. He had now, but had he merely been responding to her words? Did he truly mean it? She felt certain he did, but he hadn't said it since. And it wasn't like they'd had the proper setting for it to come up again. Until now.

"We sort of did it all a bit backwards, didn't we," she managed to say with a small smile.

"A bit," he said with a chuckle. "I don't mind too much."

"I don't either."

His hand moved back into her hair and then down towards her neck. Rose's hand reflexively tightened on his knee as he leaned in. He tasted like wine and garlic and everything good in the world as his lips brushed against hers. It was impossible to deny how drawn to him she felt, and as he teased her mouth with his, all she wanted was to be closer to him.

His hand had moved from her neck and down her back, and Rose pulled away abruptly and gave a squeal of surprise that quickly turned into laughter when he pulled her chair closer to his.

"Who said I was done with the delicious meal you prepared?" she asked teasingly. He placed a swift kiss on her lips before responding.

"I am a wonderful chef," he replied, continuing to place light kisses on her and drawing away each time before it could deepen. He was driving her wild with his teasing, and he laughed when she groaned in annoyance.

"Still want more of that chicken?" he asked, knowing full well he'd won. But two could play at this game, and Rose let the hand that was still resting on his knee run slowly up his thigh. She smirked in triumph when Scorpius visibly gulped.

"I'm rather full, actually," she said with a coy smile. Scorpius took only a moment to recover and gave her a smirk of his own.

"Conveniently enough, so am I," were his final words before he was kissing her again, this time with the same urgency Rose had been dying to act on. It was as he pulled her from her chair and Rose stood, standing between his legs with her hands on his shoulders as she hovered over him, that her mind caught up with her.

"Scorpius, wait," she said breathlessly as she pulled away. Scorpius responded with an inquisitive hum as his arms wrapped securely around her waist and pulled her closer. She did her best to stay steady and keep her head clear as he placed kisses on her collarbone.

"I don't want to go too fast," Rose managed to choke out. She felt him sigh against her as he loosened his grip slightly and looked up at her.

"You're probably right," he murmured, his eyes full of unreserved affection for her. It almost made Rose want to screw waiting and just see what could happen.

"I have rules about these things," she found herself saying, and he looked at her curiously.

"Like a three date thing?"

"More like a love thing," she clarified, and was thankful when Scorpius nodded in understanding, though his brow was furrowed.

"Not that I'm trying to talk you into anything," he said, "but you did say you love me, right? That

wasn't a dream?"

Rose had to smile at the almost nervous look he wore. She ran her hands from his shoulders up his neck and into his hair as she leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, his nerves making any she might have had disappear.

"I did say that," she said quietly, her lips only a breath away from his. He gave a sigh of relief, his eyes closed as her close proximity seemed to overwhelm him. She grinned as she moved out from between his legs and positioned herself so she could sink down onto his lap. He gave a sharp intake of breath and gripped the back of her shirt, but there was more she wanted to say. Her nerves started to creep back up at the amount of vulnerability it would take.

"I've only ever been with one person," she said in a rush. Scorpius' eyes flew open, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Really?" he asked, and she nodded shyly.

"And it's been a while," she couldn't help but add. Understanding crossed his features.

"Thomas?"

She gave another nod, her fingers moving through his hair automatically while her focus was on his reaction.

"I've been with three people."

Rose looked at him in surprise. Not because of the number, but because he'd shared the information.

"The first was the first girl I dated out of Hogwarts," he said, speaking matter of factly as his fingers started tracing patterns along her lower back. "We were only together for a few months before she decided she was too young to settle down, which wasn't even something I was thinking about doing. The second was a bit of a drunken mistake, and I actually don't remember much about it. And then you met Mel."

Rose's hands had moved down to his shoulders, and she was looking at him with wide eyes.

"And why'd you break up with Mel?" she asked, remembering their previous conversation on the topic and finding herself wanting to know the full answer to that question.

"Well, you see, there was this girl I was writing to, and she gave me some pretty solid advice," he said with a smirk. "She said all this stuff about the type of love that she wanted one day. I realized I didn't have it and I wasn't going to if I stayed in my relationship. But maybe I could, if I was with someone like the girl in those letters."

A cocktail of emotion swirled through Rose, and though she wanted to be sappy and respond in some romantic way, she found her indignation overpowering everything else.

"You said you didn't break up because of me," said Rose with an accusatory jab at his chest. Scorpius' eyes widened for a moment before he laughed in amusement.

"Are you denying you broke up with Abel because of me?"

Rose scowled at him, having forgotten that she'd broken up with her boyfriend merely days after she was supposed to have met him, and knowing full well that was part of the reason why.

"No, and unlike you, I never said otherwise," she said.

"I couldn't have told you all that then," he argued. "You didn't know the whole story."

"You could have told me the whole story," she countered, crossing her arms and giving him a pointed look. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face, though unable to hide his eye roll.

"Look, I did what I thought was best, and I apologized for not telling you sooner. Are we going to be able to live with that?"

Rose felt her annoyance draining away, mostly due to the slightly panicked look his eyes held, though he maintained his composure.

"Maybe," she said, trying not to smile as he watched her closely. "Only if you admit the truth."

"Which is?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Rose gave him her best evil grin and uncrossed her arms, running her hands up his chest before winding her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. She felt his breathing grow heavier as his hands gripped her waist.

"That you love me," she said simply. "That you loved me before you knew you loved me. And that you're a hopeless romantic."

Scorpius gave an amused snort as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Is that all?"

Rose chuckled, moving to kiss his other cheek and whispering in his ear.

"It's a start."

"And everything is set for the food?" Molly asked, her attention focused on the parchment she held that contained a list of everything that needed doing before she got married the following day.

"Yes," Rose assured her, pulling away the parchment and rolling it up. "Everything is taken care of, and you can relax and show up at the Burrow at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Molly smiled and sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Rose. You've been wonderful. There's no way this would be happening without you. Or Scorpius, for that matter."

Both girls looked across the crowded reception hall to where Archie and Scorpius were talking to Ron and Percy and appeared to be getting on exceptionally well.

"Did you tell your parents, then?" Molly asked. Rose nodded, remembering the conversation she'd had with them the day before.

"I went over to talk to Mum about some of the food prep for tomorrow and mentioned that he was handling getting the ceremony and decorations all settled. She already knew how I felt, and I could tell she wanted to ask, so I went ahead and told them. Dad was a bit blindsided, but Mum just told me a few weeks ago that he's always liked Scorpius. He almost seemed excited about it."

Rose watched as her mother approached her father and her boyfriend, immediately beginning to talk his ear off about something or other. Scorpius' expression made it seem like he was more than happy to listen to her, but his subtle glances towards Rose spoke of how overwhelming it all was.

As Molly was approached by a well wisher and began showing off her ring, Rose stood from the table and began to make her way around the ever growing crowd on the dance floor. The wedding had been beautiful and had gone off with barely a hitch, the only one being a momentary panic when a snag had been found in Lucy's veil, which had been quickly remedied with a flick of Grandma Molly's wand.

She'd made it halfway to Scorpius when she was stopped by his mother.

"You're Rose, right?" asked Astoria Malfoy. Everything she knew about the witch ran through Rose's mind. She was kind and generous, though took pride in her standing and connections. She loved her son and wanted to see him happily settled. And Scorpius had told his mother earlier that morning that he was dating Rose Weasley.

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy," said Rose, wondering if she should shake her hand. Or curtsy. Before she could make up her mind, the older witch had smiled and reached out to embrace her. She gripped Rose's arms tightly and kissed her on both cheeks.

"It's so lovely to meet you," she said exuberantly. "I know it's only been a week, but I can tell how much my son cares about you already. And how happy you make him."

Though Rose was expecting these words to cause her to panic, they filled her with warmth as she smiled at Astoria. "He makes me happy too."

Astoria practically squealed at this, continuing to grip Rose's arms. "You must come dine with us at the Manor."

Rose smiled wider at this and assured her that they'd love to.

"I'm afraid we'll never make it if my mother smothers him to death," said Rose, her gaze drifting towards her mother and Scorpius.

Astoria laughed as she glanced over to where Hermione was still rambling to Scorpius about who knows what.

"Well, be sure and tell him it was rude of him not to introduce us sooner, and that I heartily approve."

With an affection smile and one last kiss on the cheek, Astoria left Rose to her task of rescuing her boyfriend.

Boyfriend. It still felt strange to call him that. It hadn't even been a conversation. When he'd pulled out chocolate pudding after their rather heated snogging session a few nights ago, she'd acted surprised. Scorpius had simply said, "what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't give you chocolate?" and that was all that was said on the subject.

"And for Christmas, you know we always do the party at Harry and Ginny's, but we do it nice and small at our house on the day of," Hermione was saying as Rose approached. She looked at Scorpius in shock from over her mother's shoulder, but he just grinned and told Hermione it sounded perfect.

"Mum, please don't scare him off," said Rose, coming to stand next to Scorpius, who chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist as Hermione looked at her daughter in annoyance.

"We were just talking about family traditions. He asked what we do for holidays."

Rose looked up at Scorpius in question, and he nodded.

"It's true, I'm afraid," he told her, trying to contain a grin.

"Stop cozying up to my mother."

Both her mother and her boyfriend laughed.

"If you'll excuse us," she said to her mother over their continued laughter, grabbing Scorpius by the arm and dragging him onto the dance floor.

"Don't like me getting friendly with your family?" Scorpius asked with a teasing grin as they easily started swaying in time to the moderately tempoed music.

"I just didn't expect you to get along so quickly," she confessed, glancing over her shoulder and spying her parents watching them with amused expressions.

"Rose, I've been getting along with your family for years," he said pointedly. "You're the only one who ever really had a problem with me."

Rose chose not to respond to this, unable to argue the point and not wanting to admit he was right.

"I'm just so surprised by my dad," she couldn't help but say, her eyes focused on the collar of Scorpius' navy blue shirt. "It's not that he ever hated you, but I remember when we were waiting in the hospital for Abigail to have the baby, and I was so shocked by how well you were getting on. How did that even happen?"

She looked up when he let out a heavy sigh. Scorpius' face scrunched up in what looked like pain, which surprised her.

"Now's probably not the time to get into that," he admitted.

"Okay, now you have to tell me," she insisted. He sighed again and pulled her closer so she rested her cheek on his chest and couldn't look him in the eye. He rested his chin on the top of her head and spoke quietly.

"I might have helped your mother out of a scrape one day."

Rose pulled back abruptly and looked up at him with wide eyes."Scrape? What kind of scrape?"

"It was nothing," he assured her. "A couple of amateur thieves got the jump on her in Diagon Alley one evening, and I happened to be nearby. I heard the commotion, but she had them well handled by the time I got there. She'd twisted her ankle, though, so she couldn't walk and was in too much pain to Apparate on her own. I took her home."

Rose shook her head in shock. "They never said anything about it."

Scorpius shrugged. "She always insisted it wasn't a big deal. Your dad was a little more grateful."

"I can see why he likes you so much," said Rose, glancing over at her parents, who'd made their way onto the dance floor. "The quickest way to his heart is through his family, and her in particular. His stomach being a close second."

Scorpius laughed, pulling her closer once again. Rose dropped his hand and wound her arms up around his neck.

"Why didn't you want to get into that now?" she asked, and he gave a slight shrug.

"Didn't want you to get all worked up about that happening to your mum."

Rose gave a snort. "Trust me, I'm more concerned for the thieves' health than hers. She's more than capable of taking care of herself."

"Well then I'm very glad to have her on my side," he said with a chuckle.

"At least one of our mothers is," said Rose pointedly. Scorpius' looked confused for a moment before his face went comically pale at her words.

"Did she corner you? Shit, I'm sorry. I meant to introduce you, but she's a little… obsessive about my romantic life."

Rose laughed at how uncomfortable he looked.

"I liked her," she said. "She wouldn't shut up about how happy I make you."

He rolled his eyes. "She's a little overeager."

"I have a feeling she's rather perceptive."

"I have a feeling you're going to make my life hell."

"Haven't I always done that?"

"Whatever," he said with a huff. "I make you happy too."

Rose laughed at how grumpily he said it, but his demeanor brightened quickly.

"See? I've never seen you happier."

Rose rolled her eyes at his pleased expression, but found she couldn't argue. She truly was happy. Her family was happy, and her friends were happy. Her career had progressed in ways and directions she hadn't been expecting, and she was excited by the possibilities in front of her. And then there was Scorpius.

It had only been a week, but it already felt more right than any other relationship she'd ever been in. And it scared her a bit to realize that she was already thinking about the future. She could see his shop opening and maybe competing with her own and having to work through that, but knowing they'd be able to. And maybe it didn't cause any issues and maybe they'd coexist peacefully. Or maybe she'd pursue her research and lab work more, which had always been her favorite part of the job. She'd only really opened the shop because it was what she knew. And she did enjoy it, but she didn't have to do it forever. And maybe he would focus more on research too. Maybe they'd work on some projects together. Maybe they'd make the next great potions discovery. Maybe they'd live simply and enjoy the peace of day-to-day life. It would certainly be a marked change from the way things had been so far.

Whatever happened and however things turned out, Rose found that she didn't care too much, as long as it all happened with him next to her.

"It looks like they're about to cut the cake," said Scorpius, drawing Rose out of her thoughts. He was looking towards the other side of the room where Rose could only assume Wesley and Lucy were making their way towards the cake, but Rose kept her eyes on Scorpius. When she didn't respond, he looked down at her, his brow rising in question when he took in her steady gaze.

"I know we've been through a lot," she began, "and I know we'll probably go through more, but can you promise me something?"

He didn't even hesitate before he nodded.

"Promise me that at the end of the day, you'll still be there? I'm likely to lose my temper and hurl insults at you and pick fights because I'm stubborn and irrational, but I don't think the way I feel about you is ever going to change. So do you think you can do your best to stick around?"

She waited nervously as Scorpius grinned at her, then he was pulling her closer and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Just keep making my life hell, Weasley," he said with a smirk, "and I won't be going anywhere."

A/N: Love the fluff. Love that there's still banter (I hope). And love you all. I have at least one epilogue planned and I'm not telling you when or what it will contain. You'll just have to wait and see! But let me know who's POV you'd like to see it in. It wasn't till I was done with this chapter that I realized it was all Rose, so I'm leaning towards it being Scorpius. But this started with Rose and part of me feels like it should end with her. Let me know what you think! Maybe I'll give them each one :)

P.S. Sorry for the wait! I think that's the first time I haven't updated on time.