Hello, everyone! I know I haven't been posting as much, but I outlined the next few chapters last night and I figured out that with as long as my chapters are, there will only be around five more before the end of this fanfiction. (: I'm pretty excited about a big twist that I'm adding, but I'll get to that towards the end. Anyway, if you enjoy it, please review for this chapter! Oh, and if you're younger or opposed to sexual messages (especially involving gay relationships) this may not be the chapter for you, but nothing goes above Teen rating I hope. Enjoy.
Chapter Eleven: Drops of Jupiter (Train)
Taking off across the hospital, Scorpius ignored the calls from his friends and the evil looks that the nurses shot at him. This wasn't supposed to happen to him, not when everything had just evened out and life was looking up. Denial flowed through him in waves, but it immediately disappeared when he came to the door leading to Cherry's empty hospital bed.
"Damn it, Cherry. How am I going to do this alone?" Sinking down against the wall of the room, the tall blonde let his head drop into his hands. He knew better than to think that he would be alone in raising Haven, but that didn't help the fact that now his daughter would be without her biological mother.
It was in that moment that he promised himself to not keep the secret of Cherry from Haven, even if Lily took on the role of her mother as he hoped would happen. Scorpius' friends hadn't followed him when he ran off, which he took as a blessing when he stood to leave and seek them out again. Just as he turned towards the open door, a piece of paper lay on the bed and caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.
He didn't find it surprising in the slightest to find Cherry's loopy handwriting flowing down the page when he picked the crisp paper up.
Scorpius,
I imagine that you think this decision was selfish on my part, which I suppose in many ways it was. I'm not ready for the kind of life I would have to lead in order to be Haven's mother, but that was not the only reason I'm doing what I am. You need the chance to be the great father, and boyfriend if things go well with Lily, that you were always meant to be. I leave my love and best wishes for both you and our daughter, and I hope you take this blessing for all that it is meant to be.
Until we meet again,
Cher.
Whatever anger that had built up inside of him upon Cherry's disappearance was now gone, leaving Scorpius shocked and grateful at the same time. A sacrifice as great as Cherry had offered was a true act of bravery that he would cherish for the rest of his life, and he would not hesitate to take the blonde's advice on taking an advantage of his situation.
Folding the letter into a tiny, neat square, the tall boy tucked it away into his pocket with every intention of sharing it with Haven when she grew older. Quickly slipping into the sterile hallway, Scorpius was surprised to see his friends standing at the other end, Haven bouncing happily in Roland's dark arms. The newborn may be missing the person that provided her with entrance into the world, but the family she was receiving instead would love her just as much, for as long as they all would live.
Lily forced a smile onto her face as she watched the blonde take his daughter away from Roland, and slip his large hand into her small one. Guilt from being the cause of so much hardship in the life of the man she loved threatened to overwhelm her every moment she was forced to be near him. She could only hope that the plastic smile that didn't quite reach her eyes was enough to keep the attention off of her.
But annoyingly observant Hugo caught on to the look right away, silently pointing it out to his tall boyfriend immediately. Anger at the redhead's dishonesty coursed through the dark boy, but Roland forced down the lump in his throat that was begging him to rat her out. Eventually, when she felt the time was right, she would tell Scorpius the truth about his mistress' disappearance.
Until then, Lily would be forced to live with the horrific weight the guilt would leave on her soul. Everyone but the tall blonde seemed to know this, yet the redhead wouldn't change her decision if it meant saving her love's sanity. It was simply the price she was being forced to pay.
"I simply don't understand the appeal of leaving your family behind in order to visit a place so far away." Ronald Weasley paced beside the dining room table in his home, looking down at his daughter and nephew with furrowed eyebrows. "We need to discuss the other possibilities before we make any decisions. Don't you agree, Harry?"
Before the other man could answer his best friend, Albus' spoke up with a voice that demanded the respect he felt he deserved now that he was officially an adult. "Forgive me for saying as much, Uncle Ron, but you're mistaken in your authority over the situation. Rose and I are the one's responsible for our decisions now, though we are more than willing to discuss the possibilities with you on an equal, respectful playing field."
Snorting loudly at her brother, Lily entered the bright room and lifted herself onto the kitchen counter. "I figured it would at least take a week before you started acting like a stuck-up jerk. Apparently my estimation was off." Hugo joined her on the marble countertop, sticking his tongue out at a grimacing Rose.
Albus jerked back in fake astonishment at the comment, "Don't you pretend to understand the delicate workings of adult life, little girl. Why, it's very important that every single detail be worked-" Watching the redhead make fun of him caused the brunette's temper to flare, but she didn't notice until her head was being hit by a hailstorm of bread chunks. "Grow up, Lillian."
Harry, who had been watching the entire affair with amusement, stepped between his brawling children just as Lily pulled out her wand. "Enough. Albus, we'll finish this conversation later. We need to talk, little one."
Following her father through their extremely full house, Lily winked at Scorpius as they passed the living room where he, Roland, and her mother were now fussing over Haven. The older man didn't speak until they were safely in his upstairs study, making the redhead think that she had done something wrong and her heartbeat to pick up speed.
"You aren't in trouble, Lily. Unless you've done something that would earn a punishment by me?" When his daughter didn't confess of any laws she had broken, Harry allowed himself to perch on the corner of his desk. "Your mother and I were talking, and I believe it's important that you understand the delicacy of the situation you're in."
Opening her mouth to ask for clarification, the redhead was cut off by an obviously-rehearsed speech. "While I find what you're doing to help Scorpius extremely thoughtful and mature, there are some important factors for you to take into consideration before you jump into a relationship that might affect your future. I'm well aware that what you share is love, but that can't cloud the fact that if someone has the audacity to cheat on you once, they will not hesitate to do it again.
"All I'm asking is for you to really think about the consequences of the actions he's already had to live with, and how they will affect you. If that boy has his way, Haven will grow up to recognize you as her mother for all intents and purpose. Do you understand where that could be an issue if something happened that would cause the two of you to split up?"
There was no point in mentioning that she was already aware of all of this. In fact, the last few months had consisted of her constantly thinking about what it would mean to step in as the mother of such a young child. Lily was also fully capable of realizing that although the situations she'd been forced into in the past year and a half were fit for adults, she was still only a sixteen year old girl in her final years of schooling. Determination settled over her features when she looked up into her father's green eyes. "We can do this. I love both of them enough to do whatever it takes to help out."
A small smile tilted the edge of Harry's mouth upward, "I'm well aware of the ability of a strong woman, especially a fiery one such as you."
"Or that time when you pushed Hugo into the fountain at school, and all of his eyeliner slid down his face but he still went to class right after." Even Hugo had to laugh at Lily's recollection of the story, teasingly shoving his boyfriend for once being so mean to him. The three of them were sitting on the roof of the Potter house, watching the clouds float across the clear, darkening sky.
Sighing with content, the redheaded boy leaned against Roland as silence fell over the small group of teenagers. It was now late June, and things had calmed down considerably within the large family, everyone finally comfortable around each other again. Even Scorpius, assisted by a substantial push from his best friend, had even made the effort to maintain a relationship with his parents, and had even taken Haven with him in order to introduce the older Malfoys to their granddaughter.
The blonde wouldn't be back from the frighteningly large mansion until late in the night, so Roland decided there would be no point in waiting for him to return after their family barbeque had come to an end. Shifting his weight onto his feet, the older boy helped Hugo up before leaning down and kissing Lily's cheek. "I think we're going to head out of here. We finally talked Ron into letting Hugo stay with me for a night or two. It's not like I'm going to be getting him pregnant anytime soon."
A loud giggle burst from Lily's mouth before she could stop it, "God, I hope not. I'm not babysitting for any more babies in the near future. Haven is a handful as it is, she doesn't need a partner in crime." Although the infant was still too young to move around, the small blonde had discovered the art of grasping objects and chucking them at her father's head, much to everyone's amusement.
"Hush, Lily. If I were you, I would worry about my own sex life." Before the shorter redhead could grasp her cousin's ankle, he slipped from the roof completely, followed closely by a chuckling Roland. This left Lily alone on the roof, not that she minded. With her decision to step up as the mother of Haven, seclusion, along with sleep, had flown out the window. So much had changed in just a few months that she had successfully matured beyond her years without even realizing it.
What she did manage to realize fairly quickly was the silent cocoon that surrounded her was calling for her to give in and fall into unconsciousness. To say she was quick to comply would be an understatement, for she didn't even bother crawling back into her room and out of humid night air before her breathing had already slowed to a steady hum.
Ronald Weasley watched as his youngest child climbed into the passenger seat of his boyfriend's truck, a genuine smile causing his eyes to twinkle in the moon light. The older man couldn't keep the nausea from rolling through him like a tidal wave, his fingers clutching at the window frame he held within his large hands. Paranoia and concern for his son was becoming a recurring theme to his everyday life, and that wasn't something he enjoyed in the slightest.
It wasn't even possible for him to hate the brunette man that had pulled his only son away from him, no matter how many times he tried his damnedest to pull those feelings out. Hermione had spoken to him about the situation time and time again, always the nagging cricket sitting in the back of his subconscious, that if Hugo was happy and wasn't being harmed, there was nothing to be done or said to change that. While he didn't exactly agree that the latter was being avoided, Ron refused to become the enemy of his children for the hundredth time in their lives. Besides, he already was being pinned against the wall with Rose's situation; he couldn't take on any more fights at the moment.
"I know that look. He's going to be fine, Ron. You raised him well, and now you have to step back and watch him carry out your lessons." Stepping up behind his best friend, Harry looked out as the rundown truck disappeared into the night. "We can't always be there to make sure they make the right decisions. Hell, sometimes I don't think I even know what that would be anymore."
Nodding in agreement, the redhead pressed his forehead to the smooth glass of the window. "That might be true, but it doesn't change the fact that I just let my sixteen year old son leave my sight with a man two years older. Who knows what they've done or what they plan to do even tonight. I don't even want to fathom what happens to kids their age when we aren't around."
Harry quickly picked up on the hidden meaning behind his words, "We were their age once, remember?"
"Yes, I remember. And that's exactly what I'm afraid of."
Tiny pebbles tinkled against Elle's window as she slipped a pair of shorts over her toned legs, pushing her to peer carefully out at the yard so as to not show her undressed, water sprinkled torso. She was thrilled to see 'Manda leaning against the base of the large oak tree in the backyard. It had only been hours since the two girls had been together, yet the blonde felt her stomach flip with anticipation.
Quickly slipping a black tank top over her small frame, the sixteen year old wasted no time in opening the window and scaling down the tree as she had so many times before. As her feet made contact with the ground, she was quickly pulled into a hungry kiss that would have made her lose her balance had she not been enveloped in 'Manda's strong arms.
When they pulled apart, Elle pressed her damp forehead against the taller girl's. "Are you going to tell me where we're going now? Or is it still a secret?" She wasn't surprised in the slightest bit by the mischievous grin that spread across 'Manda's face, telling her that she was right in her previous assumption. "Then let's go."
Luckily, a twenty minute drive out London was all Elle had to endure before she was included in the plan. Glistening ripples of water sparkled at the hidden lake they were standing before lapped at the "beach" of soft grass they stood on. Before the blonde could ask what they were doing at a lake in the middle of the night, 'Manda was quickly shucking clothing as she strode confidently towards the water, looking back at the shorter girl with a hungry look in her eyes.
"Oh this is going to be fun." She whispered to herself as she too began to pull off articles of clothing.
Pulling her knees up to her chest in the passenger seat of 'Manda's car as they sat watching the moon slowly fade towards the horizon, Elle let out a content sigh of happiness. "I wish summer would never end. When we go back to school next year, this feeling of complete happiness won't be there anymore. There's no way we'll escape the teasing now that we're actually together."
"Who gives a fuck?" 'Manda asked roughly, resting her head on the headrest of her seat and swiveling it to look at the smaller girl. "As long as I have you, I don't care what anyone thinks. Someone will always have something to hate you for, whether it's your sexual orientation or race or even haircut, so why give them the satisfaction of watching you sweat? Two years and this will all be over; two years and anything is possible. Hell, we could move somewhere far away and get married if we wanted. I've always wanted to visit America."
It took the blonde a moment to realize that in a round-about way, she had just been proposed to. Yet, she couldn't find it in herself to be frightened by the notion, no matter how sudden or out of the blue it had been. Turning to stare at the other girl confidently, she didn't hesitate in speaking her mind. "And what if that's exactly what I want? To run away with you to America and get married. Would you really drop everything to do that with me?"
Smiling knowingly at her best friend, 'Manda couldn't help but laugh. "I have nothing to lose, and everything in the world to gain. As long as I don't have to wear a dress to the ceremony, I'm game."
"Let's just say it won't be me who you have to fight on that. Hugo isn't one to listen to others' opinions." Elle, filled to the brink with happiness and pride in the love she shared with another, leaned forward and pressed her lips to the brunettes'. "I don't care if you wear anything at all." Which received an earnest chuckle in return.
Flicking on the light directly inside the living room portion of his small flat, Roland allowed his thin jacket to slip from his shoulders and fall to the ground beside the door. He didn't wait to watch Hugo enter quickly after him, shutting the door once completely inside the apartment, and strode to the stove to put a pot of water on the fire in order to make tea. The brunette forced his heart to slow down to a normal speed, trying to forget the car ride he had just been subjected to.
Sex wasn't something that the two boys had discussed in their relationship yet, though it was certainly a giant storm cloud just waiting to weep rain on their lives. But tonight, as the constant chatter that Hugo normally kept going faded into silence, they had both become keenly aware of the sexual tension that radiated from each other. Unsurprisingly, the younger boy had been the one to act first, seeing as Roland had been driving, and his thin hand had found it's way up his boyfriend's leg. Nothing else took place, his fingers pausing mid-thigh, but it was enough to open the floodgates to new thoughts of possible pleasure.
"Ro, look at me." Hugo stood a few feet away from the brunette, his large eyes filled with naïve concern as they met Roland's all knowing, hungry ones. "What's wr-" The question was silenced by warm lips as his body was lifted from the ground and he was placed on the kitchen counter.
As his hungry mouth tracked down the pale neck in front of him, the brunette finally found his voice again though it came out as a low growl. "I want you, Hugo. So much it hurts."
Wrapping his skinny jean clad legs around the muscular boy, the redhead couldn't respond before he was being carried from the living room and into the only bedroom in the apartment. The click of the door coming to a close rang through the teenager's head, pulling a grin to his face. We're ready for this.
The next morning, as light filtered in through the thin cotton curtains of the lone window in the room, Hugo was awoken by soft lips pressing to his neck repeatedly. Opening his eyes to Roland's smiling face, memories of the previous night came crashing back to him, but without any of the regret that he had once feared he would feel. It had been perfect, everything he had ever dreamed of, and he there was no shame in his eyes when they met the older boy's.
"I love you so much." He only barely heard Roland's alike response before he drifted back to a blissful sleep filled with even more dreams of the brunette.
Cooing at Haven lovingly as she lay her softly down in the crib her father had found in the garage, Lily pulled dark curtains shut against the invasive rays of the morning sunlight so the infant might finally quiet down enough to allow her father to sleep. Scorpius had only returned to the Potter home within an hour of when they would normally all pack up and attend church, earning both himself and Lily a reprieve for the week due to special circumstances.
"I think she's all set, thank you for taking care of it." Having just gotten out of the shower before planning to retire to bed, Scorpius stood in the doorway to the makeshift nursery, his scruffy hair allowing droplets of water to slip down his bare chest. Lily sized him up openly, not shy in the slightest as her eyes raked over his toned torso and arms, eventually sliding down to where his loose fitting shorts hung low on his hips. "But it seems that she's not the only one that needs to be taken care of."
The redhead wasn't naïve in the slightest, so it was expected that an excited grin would split her face when she realized that the tall blonde was finally giving in to their deepest desires. "I'm not so sure that I would be talking if I were you." Crossing the room in two quick strides, Lily was confidently pushing Scorpius across the hall and onto the bed he had claimed as his own for the day. "You better not back down now, Malfoy. I won't hesitate to chew you up and spit you out."
Shivering with anticipation, Scorpius winked up at the mischievous woman above him. "I'm pretty sure that I'd like that just as much as you would. Come at me, Potter."
A week later, the six teenagers sat on the bright green grass at the edge of the small pond in the northwestern corner of the Potter lot, each person soaking up the warmth that the afternoon sun provided them with. Haven was bouncing happily in Elle's lap as she gripped the girl's thin fingers, a toothless grin radiating even more warmth into the group.
"Do you know what I can't figure out for the life of me? How could Cherry possibly leave this beautiful child behind for whatever sad life she's now living? And how could we have missed all the signs that she planned to abandon her? I just don't understand." As Elle asked each question, her perfect eyebrows pulled together in confusion, yet she was completely oblivious to the uncomfortable shifts of her friends' bodies.
Catching eyes with Roland, Hugo bit his lip against the thoughts of betrayal begging to escape him and set the blonde's questions to rest. Because Lily had realized what was going on with the pregnant girl long before she had acted on her feelings, yet had done nothing to stop her from leaving. At the very least, he felt that she should have told Scorpius about the girl's plans, but that decision wasn't up to him. So the two gay teens kept quiet, not indulging in Elle's mindless ramblings.
However, after a month of irregular sleep patterns, Lily wasn't at the peak of her intelligence and inserted her foot into her mouth the moment she opened it. "Honestly, it wouldn't have been that difficult to realize what she planned to do. Cherry was detaching herself from Haven the moment she realized that Scorpius didn't love her back; not that there was anything for anyone to do about her decision once it was made, so why dwell on the past."
Mouth flying open at his cousin's lapse of judgment, Hugo tried to form the words to protect her from the explosion that was bound to come, but didn't have time before Scorpius flew up from his position lying on the grass comfortably. "What the hell do you mean there was nothing to do? We could have changed her mind before she left! You knew what she was up to and didn't tell me?"
"No! Well, yes, but she was so unhappy and I knew that things would work out so much better if she wasn't around and in the way." Lily scrambled to her feet quickly as Scorpius rose to his, his icy blue eyes filled with flames of fury at the realization that he had been betrayed. "Please don't look at me that way. She didn't want to be stopped, Scorpius! Scorpius, where are you going?"
The blonde had turned away in disgust and was now stalking away from the silent group of teenagers, leaving Haven crying in Elle's arms. "I need to get away from you before I do something I regret. I can't believe you'd do this to me, just when I really thought you loved me." He didn't stop walking until he was safely inside of his car, quickly wheeling out of the driveway and away from a hysterically screaming redhead being restrained by his best friend's thick arms.
Why do things always have to fall to shit just when I think they're getting better?
Thank you for reading! I'm really not sure when the next chapter will be up, and I don't want to make any false promises, so just keep checking back for more! I'd really appreciate getting reviews. They keep me motivated and that's what I really need right now. Thank you again for reading.
