So I have now posted six chapters in a week. That's a new record for me. I don't know how quickly chapters will be being posted, since now I am writing things unplanned. I'm also beginning the process of moving into my new house this week, so a lot of my spare time will be spent packing and moving boxes over.

I'm not 100% sure how much more I have to write for this story. At the very least, there are two more chapters. I guess it all depends on how you all feel about how this chapter goes, and if I can come up with more ideas.

Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)

************************************************************

"I'm scared of what you'll say and so I'm hiding what I'm feeling. But I'm tired of holding this inside my head." ~Fallin' For You, Colbie Caillat

                A few hours later, all the guests finally left, and the manor was finally quiet once again. Everyone had gone to sleep except Audrey and Artemis. They both were in Scorpius' room putting all his gifts away. It was a strange feeling to be without Scorpius. This was really the first time they had allowed him to stay with someone else, and honestly it was nerve-wracking for them both.

            On top of that, Artemis was still trying to think of a way to bring up to Audrey that he loved her. He had never actually confessed love to someone before, and despite the pep talk from the guys, he wasn't feeling very confident. Artemis generally was an incredibly confident and well-versed individual, but this was something new to him. He had no idea how to even begin to go about this. And with every passing second, he was growing more anxious. He needed to bring it up, and fast.

            His thoughts were interrupted when Audrey asked, "Do you think Scorpius is okay?"

            "Yeah, I think he's fine," Artemis answered, trying to not sound like he just brushed it off. He set down one of the new toys on a shelf before adding, "He's with Ron and Nicole. Definitely in safe hands."

            "You're right," Audrey responded quietly, folding a shirt, and placing it in a drawer. She didn't say anything for a few moments, and she turned to look at him before she asked, "Are you okay? You seem a bit off."

            Artemis felt himself unintentionally tense up. No, I'm not okay, he thought, but instead his mouth said, "I'm alright." He immediately wanted to slap himself, so he quickly added, "I just wanted to ask you something."

            Audrey looked at him curiously. "What is it, Arty?"

            Artemis' mind began to panic. How was he supposed to ask her this? "I was just wondering... if you... um..." His voice drifted off, and he avoided making eye contact with her. She just made him so nervous he couldn't think straight. Maybe if he didn't see her, he could get it out without more stuttering.

            "If I what?" Audrey questioned since he never finished his thought.

            "If you wanted to go find some new flowers for the garden with me tomorrow?" Artemis blurted quickly, and instantly hated himself for. That was not what he was supposed to ask. The garden didn't need new flowers, but at this point he was just going to have to wing it since he had turned into a blubbering idiot.

            Audrey gave him a bewildered look for a moment, and then her expression softened a bit. "Sure," she answered, although he thought he heard a bit of disappointment in her voice. She turned away from him, and resumed folding clothes. "I guess I'll head to bed here in a moment then after I finish putting this stuff up."

            Artemis tugged nervously at the sleeves of his dress shirt. "Right," he muttered. "So I guess I'll see you in the morning then. Good night."

            Before Audrey could even respond to him, Artemis scurried out of the room, completely and thoroughly embarrassed by how he had just handled that situation. He sighed, shaking his head at his own stupidity. He had to make this up to her, and he knew that in the morning, he absolutely had to make his feelings known, whether he wanted to or not. Artemis was going to get it together, and finally tell her how he felt.

            But for now, he was going to try to sleep and pretend he hadn't just made a complete ass of himself in front of the girl he loved.

*****

            It had been a very strange night and morning thus far for Audrey. She was so used to waking up to take care of Scorpius in the middle of the night, and feeding him in the morning. With him being at Nicole and Ron's, Audrey could just lay in bed and actually get some sleep. Not that she slept very well, anyways. Her mind had been racing for most of the night trying to comprehend what the hell happened last night.

            Artemis was acting completely strange, there was no denying it. He usually wasn't so uneasy, and that was enough to make Audrey curious. Not to mention her friends volunteering to take Scorpius seemingly out of nowhere seemed suspicious too. At any rate, something was bothering Artemis, and she knew that him asking her to find flowers for the garden was not what he really wanted to ask. Audrey wasn't sure what was on his mind, but she wanted to get to the bottom of it, and soon.

            But perhaps the strangest thing was that when she woke up, there was a large bouquet of red tulips in a vase on her dresser. They weren't there when she fell asleep, and she wasn't sure where they had come from since there was no note or anything with them. She had her suspicions, but tried to shake it from her mind as she pinned a piece of her hair back. She took a deep breath as she took one more glance in her mirror before making her way out of her room.

            It didn't take her long to bump into Artemis. She caught him just as he was coming out of his room down the hall. He was dressed slightly more casually than usual, and it made Audrey feel a bit better about how she had dressed. He caught her gaze, and made his way over to her with a small smile on his face.

            "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

            Audrey nodded, offering him her hand. Her best friend took it in his own, and without hesitating, he Disapparated them from the manor. When Audrey opened her eyes, they appeared to be on a rocky beach somewhere. Only, it seemed to be relatively deserted since there were no other people around. Last Audrey knew, flowers could not be bought on a beach. Artemis was up to something.

            "This doesn't look like a greenhouse, or nursery, or wherever else you buy flowers," she announced, shooting Artemis an intrigued look as she pulled her hand away from him to cross her arms across her chest.

            Artemis sighed, reaching to grab both of her hands in his, uncrossing her arms. "I may have... lied a bit," he admitted, looking at the ground. "We don't need new flowers."

            Audrey looked at him expectantly, and her response sounded more snappy than she wanted it to. "Then, pray tell, why drag me all the way out here?"

            She felt Artemis' grasp on her hands tighten slightly. "I... I really need to talk to you about something," he answered. "I wanted to talk about it last night, but I was an idiot and panicked."

            Audrey knew it. She felt her heart rate increase in anticipation. "What is it?"

            Artemis took another deep breath, steadying himself before he looked up and made eye contact with her. "I know this may sound... odd, but... I have been wanting to tell you this for a very long time now," he started. "I never meant for this to happen, and I tried so long to ignore it because I thought it would be wrong given all the circumstances. But I just can't go on without telling you anymore. I understand if you don't feel the same, but I just need to get this off my chest." He paused for a moment, and Audrey swore his eyes were starting to become tear-glazed. "But I love you. More than anything."

            He loved her. The words danced around Audrey's head, and she was sure she looked like an idiot as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard. It explained so much- why he was so affectionate, why he was so nervous around her, why he bent over backwards for her more than an average friend would. All her fears of him not feeling the same way dissipated, and even though she had her reservations about it all, she knew now was the time to tell him the truth too.

            "I love you too, Artemis," she answered, not able to hold back a large smile.

            Finally, a smile formed on her friend's face, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. Audrey hugged him back, feeling herself at complete ease in his arms. From where her head rested on his chest, she could hear his heart beating, and it was racing. The smile on her face grew; she hadn't realized how nervous he had truly been.

            "You don't know how happy that makes me," he said quietly.

            "I'm actually pretty sure I do," Audrey replied, teasing him slightly. "So those flowers?"

            "Yeah, those were from me," Artemis admitted.

            Audrey smiled. "Well, thank you. They're beautiful."

"Just like you," he replied. "You're very welcome."

            The two of them pulled away from each other, and they sat on a nearby rock and stared out at the ocean. While the confession was out of the way, Audrey was sure they still had a lot to discuss.  It wasn't like they were in something brand new, as in some senses Audrey felt like in a lot of ways they were already a couple long before this confession, but at the same time there were some things that probably needed to be sorted out.

            After a few minutes of silence, Audrey decided she should ask about something she was curious about. "How long have you felt this way?"

            Artemis thought about it for a moment. "I'm not really sure of an exact date, but it's been a few months at least," he admitted. "I've always been fond of you, obviously, but I think this past year raising Scorpius with you has definitely made me see you in a completely different light. I've seen you at your worst, I've seen you at your best, and both have made me love who you are even more." He paused, thinking a little bit more. "You have been through so much, and you've never let that change who you are. A lesser person would've let all the misfortunes you've faced make them cold."

            He had made a point Audrey had never even thought about. The last year and a half had been really rough, all things considered. She had lost her husband and father. She had to give up her home and move in with a friend. She was technically a single parent. She had a lifelong friendship go down the drain. And yet, she was still alive and fighting through it. She had bad days, and moments when she missed the way things used to be; that was to be expected. But she had more good days than bad now, and she honestly thought a lot of that had to do with Scorpius and Artemis.

            "What about you?" Artemis broke her thoughts.

            "Honestly I don't know either," Audrey admitted, glancing over at him. "I guess it was just gradual, and over time I came to the same realization. You just... you have made me feel so much better, and have helped me so much through everything. Artemis, I... It's been hard without Draco, and you have helped me raise his son and you have been there for me through all of this. I'm always going to love Draco but..."

            "I know that, and I don't ever expect you to forget about him," Artemis assured as her voice trailed off. "I know sometimes it's going to be hard, and I am prepared for it. I've stuck with you this long; that's not going to change now. If I'm lucky, I'll be there for you for the rest of my life."

            Audrey felt a tear run down her face, unchecked. He had no idea how much that meant to her. Life had been hard without Draco, and she hid how much it bothered her pretty well. Artemis had held all of his promises to date, and Audrey was sure he would hold that one too. He reached over and wiped the tears from her eyes before resting his hand on her cheek.

            "For better or worse, right?" Artemis continued, a small smile on his face.

            Audrey smiled back at him. "For better or worse."

            Artemis smirked, and Audrey thought for a moment she was going to melt at the sight. He gently pulled her closer to him, leaving a few inches of space between them, before slowly leaning in and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. Audrey was taken aback for just a moment, but then she eased into it and kissed him back. It felt nice to be kissed again, and for it to have been with someone who understood her hardships and what she had been through made it all the better. In all honesty, she had wanted to kiss Artemis for a while, but for obvious reasons she hadn't done it. He was worth the wait.

            After a few moments, Artemis pulled away from her, a huge smile on his face. He took a deep breath before he spoke again. "So... does this mean we're... in Ron's words... a thing now?" he asked.

            Audrey couldn't resist laughing at that. "I think so, Arty. I think so," she answered, interlacing her fingers with his.

            "Great," he replied happily. He paused for a moment, debating his next words. "We still have a lot of time before Ron and Nicole bring Scorpius home. Do you want to take a walk along the beach?"

            "Sounds good to me," she agreed.

            With that, Artemis stood, and pulled Audrey to her feet as well. The two of them walked hand in hand down to the shoreline. It had been a while since Audrey had been this happy, and she was hoping that this was only the beginning of many more happy days to come.