Make that 5 chapters in 6 days! I am having a lot of fun writing this story. I really hope I can keep this up. :)

Again, please note that I am writing an ALTERNATE ENDING in which Draco is still alive. So if you end up not liking what I am doing with this, feel free to skip any and all chapters between now and then.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

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"Remember when we never needed each other? The best of friends like sister and brother. We understood, we'd never be alone. Those days are gone, and I want you so much. The night is long and I need your touch. Don't know what to say; I never meant to feel this way." ~How Did I Fall In Love With You?, Backstreet Boys

The table the boys occupied at the party was still full, and it didn't look as if that was going to change anytime soon. Artemis laughed at Fred and George's joke, wondering how he had managed to make more friends, let alone ones as funny as they were. The party had calmed down a bit, and the girls and all their parents had taken Scorpius outside to play with Artemis' brothers, leaving Artemis inside with the guys. It was something strange and foreign to him. Before Draco's death, Artemis had few friends; now it seemed as if he had many more. It was most welcome. These days he needed a good laugh to keep him distracted from all of life's hardships, not that he had as many as he used to.

                He had never imagined himself in a place like this. When he had promised Draco to look after his wife if anything happened to him, Artemis never actually thought he would have to live up to that promise. It wasn't that he was upset that he had made the promise; no, he was far from it. Really, it was more that he had never thought Draco would actually die, especially like he did. But despite that, Artemis deeply cared for Audrey and Scorpius. He was so happy that he had been there for them for this past year or so, and that he had taken on the role of father, even in its hardest moments. But he couldn't say this was how he planned on how his life would ever be.

                Mainly because he wasn't sure falling in love with Audrey was part of his deal with Draco.

                Artemis tried to hide it, but he was sure he was failing miserably. He never meant to fall for Audrey. He honestly had no intention to love her more than one would in a platonic friendship, but it just happened. And the thought of it almost terrified him. Over the course of the last year, he had been ever so slowly falling for the girl. And when Ron spoke up next, he knew it was all too obvious to everyone else too.

                "So, Artemis... I think I speak for all of us when I ask this. Are you two a thing yet?" the ginger boy inquired, grabbing a handful of candy from a bowl on the table.

                "What? No," Artemis answered, almost too quickly. He could feel himself beginning to blush, and he knew with how pale he was, that was a dead giveaway that he was lying. "We're just friends."

                "And I'm not the Chosen One," Harry countered sarcastically.

                "Just friends don't raise babies together," Fred pointed out.

                "And if they do, well... eventually they end up together and make more babies," George added.

                Artemis sighed, resting his head on one of his hands. There was really no use in trying to hide it at this point. All of the guys knew, somehow. Was it that obvious? "Okay, guys. I get it," he replied. "But in all seriousness, we are just friends right now."

                "Sure you are," the twins chorused, smirks plastered to both of their faces.

                Artemis frowned. "I guess since you all have your suspicions, I may as well just come clean," he started, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I'm in love with her. I can't help it. She's beautiful, smart, funny, caring, strong... and we've been to hell and back together." He paused, trying to calm himself a little bit. "But... I'm conflicted. On one hand, I find myself more in love with her with every passing day. But on the other, Draco was my cousin, and I feel like that initiating anything could cross a line."

                "I've known you loved her for like a year now, mate. This isn't new information to us," Ron said, eating some more candy. "As far as Draco goes, I don't think he would've said 'hey if I die, take care of my wife and kid' if he didn't want you to maybe fall for her. I mean, you can't raise a kid with someone and not have some deep, profound connection with them. He was smart enough to realize that."

                Ron had a point. When Scorpius was born, Artemis knew things were going to change rapidly between him and Audrey. Sure, they already trusted each other, and were the closest of friends, but adding a child to the mix changed that. They had to be that much more aware, that much more understanding, that much more patient. This first year had been hard, there was no doubt about it. There had been many nights Artemis didn't sleep and stayed up with the baby just to make sure Audrey got a good night's rest, and then he would go into work for eight or more hours before coming home and doing it all again. Being a parent was hard work; it was stressful, but it was worth it. Even if biologically Scorpius wasn't his, Artemis loved that little boy more than life itself.

                "I mean, he probably didn't know that you would end up legitimately in love with her, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that it wasn't a possibility," Harry added on. "I know it's kind of weird because he's your cousin and all, but it's not like you and Audrey yourself are blood related."

                Another valid point, but it didn't make Artemis feel that much better. "I know," he answered. "I just don't know if it's appropriate to feel this way."

                "Meh, I wouldn't worry too much about if it's appropriate," Fred chimed in. "People do stupid things when they're in love. Hello; look what I dealt with! Anyway... I've seen how she looks at you. I've known her for a long time, and I have never seen Audrey look at someone like that other than Draco, and that one Durmstrang idiot she dated for a while. But other than that, I think Ron and Harry are right. Draco wouldn't have trusted you with her if he didn't want this to possibly happen."

                Artemis nodded slowly. Maybe they were right after all. "But how do I tell her? What if she doesn't feel the same way?" he asked.

                "No worries; she fancies you," George assured, pulling an Extendable Ear from his pocket and setting it on the table. "I eavesdropped on them earlier before your little munchkin started walking. They were talking about it, and she's just as uncertain about what she's feeling as you are."

                That reassured Artemis a little bit. At least he knew he was not alone in having these conflicted feelings. But just because they felt the same way didn't mean Audrey would be willing to make anything official. After all, she had only lost Draco a year ago. It still could be too soon for her to want to be in any sort of serious relationship, and honestly, he couldn't say he blamed her if she just wanted to be left alone. Her heart was going to break every day for the rest of her life; every time she saw Scorpius she would be reminded of Draco, and Artemis knew that. He knew he would never compare, but he didn't want to replace Draco, nor did he expect to. Artemis knew how much Draco meant to Audrey, and he never wanted to make her forget about him.

                "Should I... try and talk to her about it?" Artemis finally asked, uncertainty apparent in his voice.

                "How about Nicole and I take Scorpius for the evening and tomorrow? We'll bring him back Monday morning. Gives you two some time to talk about whatever is on both your minds," Ron suggested. "It's obvious you guys have a lot that needs to be sorted out, you know?"

                Artemis nodded. It all made sense; he just wasn't sure how he was going to bring it up to Audrey in the first place. "Yeah, we do," Artemis agreed. "I'll pack a bag for Scorpius so whenever the girls are ready you guys can take off."

                "Well if it's up to the girls, we'll never leave," Harry joked. "We'd all just move in together and always have each other's company."

                "Don't ever let them hear you say that," Fred cautioned. "You don't want that to become our reality. There would be zero privacy, and absolutely zero peace and quiet."

                "We don't have that with you around anyway," Artemis chimed in, not able to resist smirking. He sighed, and then stood. "You four stay out of trouble while I go pack Scorpius' bag."

                "We'll be fine," Ron assured. "I'll keep 'em here."

                "It's still super weird thinking you're a dad though," Harry replied. "When we first met, you didn't strike me as the kind of guy to have a family. Let alone any of this."

                Honestly, Artemis hadn't thought of himself as father material until sometime after Scorpius was born. It was just something he had never imagined, and after helping raise his younger brothers, he wasn't sure if kids were going to be something he was interested in. Scorpius and Audrey changed that. They had made his life so much more fulfilling.

                "Yeah, I didn't think so either," Artemis replied, a smile on his face.

                Before his friends could reply, Artemis walked away from the table and started to make his way upstairs to pack up a bag for Scorpius, and to begin devising a plan to talk to Audrey about these feelings they shared. All he could do at this point was hope that he didn't mess this all up by telling her the truth.