Disc: Oh what fun it would be to have been the creator of this world.

Chapter Thirty Two

Damon sat at the table, waiting for Lily while Scorpius was off with Theron picking out clothes for the family portrait. Lily exited the bedroom, dressed with the baby tucked under her shirt. She stopped, surprised to see him sitting there. Damon didn't say anything, just gestured at the chair across from him. Lily moved it back, sitting.

"I want to talk to you, before Theron and Scorpius get back," Damon started. He looked up from his son to her face.

"About?"

"I'm really happy, thrilled, that you and Scorpius have... reconnected... I am, but-"

"But?"

"It's a touch awkward for me to bring the baby in to you at night, to have you feed him, and you're, well, undressed," Damon's face burned bright red. Lily had the decency to blush.

"I mean to at least throw on a shirt, but usually afterwards-"

"Yes, well, you know how I feel about you, and I can't be around you like that, Lily," Damon told her honestly. "I think we need to discuss either you night-weaning Gentry, or I think I need to surrender night duties to you and move out."

"You want to move out?" Lily asked him, surprised.

"No, but... Lily, I can't keep torturing myself," Damon protested. "It's not fair to you, and it's sure as hell isn't fair to me."

"I'm sorry," Lily took his hand in hers. "I really am."

"I know you don't do it to be cruel," Damon smiled half-heartedly.

"I'll work on getting him night weaned, while you two are gone," Lily offered. "I don't want you to leave us, unless that's what you want."

"I want you," Damon told her. Lily pulled her hand back.

"You know... you know that can never, will never happen," Lily told him. He nodded once.

"I know, doesn't change the fact that I do, though," he explained. He glanced down at his son. "I hope he knows how lucky he is." Lily opened her mouth to protest, but the door slammed open.

"Mum! Dad wouldn't let me get the acid green, said it wasn't fitting of a family portrait!" Theron hollered as he entered the apartment. "Oh, hey Uncle Damon, can you believe that? I mean, if 'acid green' doesn't scream Slytherin, I don't know what would!"

"You're thirteen, you need to wear formal robes for things like family portraits," Scorpius laughed as he closed the door. Damon rose, ignoring Lily and Gentry.

"Your dad's right," Damon taunted. "When we were in Ireland, your dad got mistaken for a giant leprechaun when he was trying to rock the acid green."

"Did you really?" Theron spun around to look at his dad. "Mum did you know about this?"

"This is new to me," Lily promised as she righted her shirt, placing the milk-drunk baby on her shoulder and patting his back.

"I thought we'd never talk of those days," Scorpius chuckled.

"Oh, no, I must share this story with my God-son," Damon teased.

"I'm going to get myself and Gentry ready," Lily announced although no one was paying her much attention. She dressed in a formal gown, the baby in a miniature suit. She did her hair up, elegant, and joined the men who had dressed, apparently smack dab in the middle of the living room. Lily flicked her wand, sending the clothes to a pile in the corner.

The wizard for the portrait was already setting up, altering one of the walls in Lily's apartment with a regal looking fire place. It was decided early on that Lily would sit, with Gentry in her right arm and with Theron taking a knee to her left. Each of the fathers would stand behind her, on the side of their progeny.

"This looks good on my end, Mrs. Malfoy," the wizard shared as he adjusted the lenses on his camera. Lily glanced up at Scorpius and at Damon.

"I feel like a polygamist," Lily muttered with a smile, causing the wizard to chuckle.

"Yours wouldn't be the first," he winked. "But I know of your situation. Nothing happens to the progeny of the Chosen One that goes by unknown by the masses."

"Nearly done?" Scorpius asked him.

"Oh, yes," he nodded. "Flash and then we're done."

The flash was bright, blinding, and Gentry cried. Theron took him, leaving a trail of fancy clothes as the two of them headed back to Theron's room. The wizard advised that the portrait would be delivered in about a week , and tipped his little hat as he left. Damon rolled his eyes and headed back to finish packing for his trip.

"Can I persuade you to stay?" Lily asked Scorpius as he packed. She stayed away from the bed, unwilling to mirror that last good-bye, days before their wedding.

"I have to do this," Scorpius told her. "Dad's coming right before we leave to retrieve you, Theron, and the baby. Damon's mom lives right up the lane and I know it'd mean the world to have you visit."

"Mrs. West hates me, Score," Lily pointed out.

"Okay, so your first visit didn't go well," Scorpius offered gently.

"She threw me out!" Lily protested.

"She didn't really throw you-" Lily silenced him with a glare.

Lily and Damon had decided to wait until Gentry was born to mention him to Damon's mother. In fact, they'd waited until Gentry was eight weeks old and already home from the hospital. Dressed in a little outfit, Lily held the baby while Damon rang the bell.

"What if she doesn't like us?" Lily asked. Damon kissed her forehead.

"She's going to love you," Damon promised. The door opened, the house elf ushered them in to the drawing room. Lily took a seat, holding the baby tightly. She'd never been in Damon's house, and found it almost as impressive as Malfoy manor.

"Have you guys ever hosted the Slytherin Ball?" Lily wondered aloud. The house was large enough, fancy enough.

"Dad was muggle-born," Damon whispered as his mother entered the room with a flourish. She dipped down, kissing both of her son's cheeks.

"What bring my only son by unannounced?" Mrs. West asked, taking a seat as a house elf brought in a too large silver tray of teas and biscuits.

"Mother, I've had a son," Damon blurted out as the woman went to take a sip of tea. She glanced at the bundle in Lily's arms.

"Is this he?" she asked, placing her tea down on the saucer and leaning forward to get the first look at her grandson. Lily tipped the baby towards the woman, moving the light blanket to show off the tiny tanned skinned baby, the bald head with wisps of hair growing back in.

"My son, Gentry West," pride oozed from Damon's voice as he took the baby carefully from Lily. Mrs. West immediately reached for him, taking the baby and stroking his small cheek.

"Oh, my. He's precious," Mrs. West whispered. She looked to her son. "He looks so much like you, but I can see you too, dear."

"Thank you," Lily and Damon both replied in unison.

"I wasn't even aware you'd wed," Mrs. West chastised. She glanced to Lily with a smile. "Leave it to my son, to run off in a hurry after all this time."

"Mum, Lily and I aren't married," Damon corrected. Mrs. West looked at him in surprise.

"Well, we'll have to correct that immediately," Mrs. West offered, standing and pacing with the baby in her arms. "I'm sure that we can pull together a spectacular wedding within the month. No need to hurry it quicker, you lose quality when you do, and since the baby's already here, it won't be a secret-"

"Mum, Lily and I can't get married," Damon cut the woman off from her wedding ramble. Mrs. West stopped abruptly, looking at her son incredulously.

"Surely, you don't mean to live in sin! This baby needs to be raised in a good, MARRIED household," Mrs. West protested.

"Lily's already married, to Scorpius Malfoy," Damon explained. Mrs. West looked outraged.

"You're an adulterer," Mrs. West threw at Lily. She didn't ask, just assumed.

"No, I-"

"Get out of my house," Mrs. West demanded shrilly. "I won't have such corrupt morals in my home. I should have known when you came pounding on my son's door that night. No lady comes calling on a gentleman that late at night. Get out you hussy!"

"Mum! She's my son's mother! Show some respect!" Damon shouted at her, the baby began to cry.

"I won't have it, Damon! I won't! Get out! Both you and your bastard," Mrs. West screamed at Lily, thrusting the baby roughly back at Lily. Lily nearly tripped, running from the house, Damon on her heels, shouting obscenities back at his mother.

"I'm so sorry, Lily," Damon grabbed her by the arm to stop her from inadvertently running into the busy street traffic.

"I'm never, ever going back there, Damon," Lily threatened, wiping the tears from her face. Gentry was still wailing from her arms. "I won't do it, Damon. I'm never going back, and neither is my son."

Theron entered, covered in spit up. He was frowning. Gentry was clapping. Scorpius and Lily glanced up from their bags and laughed. Lily took the baby from Theron, heading into the nursery to change him and clean up the copious amounts of spit up. Damon was already in there, packing Gentry's bags. Lily couldn't help but laugh.

"Damon we're going for like a week, not forever," Lily pointed out. "I doubt he'll need every single one of his sleepers."

"You never know," Damon shoved them all in the bag.

"There will be house elves to wash the clothes for us, and the nappies," Lily reminded him. He grinned.

"That's probably the only reason you agreed," Damn teased her. Lily rolled her eyes, but grinned undressing the little boy and wiping his face.

"I will admit, it's one of those wonderful perks to living the privileged lifestyle," Lily admitted, tossing the words over her shoulder as she lay the baby in the crib. Damon scowled.

"Well, don't get used to it," Damon challenged. "I don't know about Scorpius, but I'm not getting you a house elf." Lily turned to him, walking slowly toward him. His good sense had him backing up until he backed into the changing table. She stood as close as possible to him without even touching him.

"Are you telling me, Mr. West, that you wouldn't, if I... the mother of your beloved son... asked you, nay, begged you on my hands in knees before you, for a house elf," Lily murmured in a soft, almost seductive voice.

"Scorpius! Your wife is trying to seduce me into getting her a house elf!" Damon called. Lily laughed as Scorpius came in, shaking his head.

"That's unkind Lily, especially when I already told you there was no way," Scorpius chuckled.

"Can't blame a gal for trying," Lily pulled away, pulling the last of the nappies out of the cabinet.

"Thought you said you didn't need as much for him," Damon teased.

"You can never have too many nappies," Lily pointed out. She looked at the baby. "Plus, I'm going to try him on cereal to see if he'll sleep longer at night." She glanced at Damon briefly before she joined Theron in his room, who was finishing up packing.

"I was thinking, I might like to try and be a beater, like you," Theron said thoughtfully as he tapped his finger on his chin.

"I was a fair enough beater," Lily pointed out.

"You, Dad, and Uncle Damon must have had fun playing on the pitch together," Theron murmured as he turned back to whatever he was working on, the parchment rolling up on him. Lily went to show him an effective way to anchor it when he snatched it up, hiding it. Unfortunately, for Theron, it wasn't before Lily read the very first line- To my darling Caroline-

Lily didn't say anything at dinner, though curiosity was killing her to ask about who Caroline might have been. Did anyone she know have a daughter named Caroline? She couldn't recall properly. She missed twice her name, and jumped when Scorpius touched her shoulder.

"Are you okay? You were a bit spacey at dinner," Scorpius asked her. Lily bit her lip then blurted out what she'd seen Theron working on in his room. Scorpius paused, then grinned.

"Smart boy. I never thought of writing you a letter," Scorpius murmured.

"That's all you got from this? Who is this Caroline? What is she like? Is she going to break my boy's heart?" Lily rambled on.

"What's got her in a tizzy?" Damon asked poking his head in the doorway.

"Theron's writing a girl a letter," Scorpius explained. Damon grinned.

"He is the same age that Scorpius noticed you," Damon pointed out. Lily frowned, marching over to the doorway and taking her son.

"I'll have you know, I noticed him first," Lily grumbled as she pushed past Damon and settled in the rocker. She tried to get the sleepy baby to settle.

"Oh, um, I fed him," Damon grinned. "He decided to take a bottle. I just had to warm it up to body temperature."

"Oh?" Lily kissed his little head and tucked him in the crib. Damon came up beside her and peered in to the crib, the dark eyelashes fluttering as he fell asleep.

"Cozy, now, Mrs. Malfoy, shall we?" Scorpius called from the doorway. Lily looked away from Damon, eager to go to her husband.

Lily and Scorpius didn't do much sleeping that night, the door between the bedroom and the nursery stayed closed all night. They spent that last night memorizing each other's bodies until they could have identified each other even if blind. Lily was grateful for the silencing spell that Scorpius put on the doors, though her face still burned with knowledge every time Scorpius caught her eye or squeezed her knee.

At noon, promptly, Draco arrived. Theron hugged him, whether he wanted a hug or not, and Lily couldn't help but grin. In all her years, Draco had never been a big hugger, and yet there he was being hugged by his grandson. It was almost too perfect. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been to have both her parents there, to meet both of her sons.

Scorpius kissed her good-bye. They didn't share any sentiments of their love, just a long, slow kiss good bye. She took Gentry from Damon, slipping him into her carrier while Draco sent on their luggage. She kissed Damon's cheek, took Theron's hand, and followed Draco out of the apartment to where the car was waiting for them. She didn't look back, didn't look up to see if they were waving. She gently pushed Theron in first, then followed, Draco pulling up the rear. She didn't look back as the car pulled away, unable to bring herself to look one last time at the loves of her life.