A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Forty-Two.

It was certainly odd having Remus here, but at the same time I was glad to have him here. We headed back to the living room where George Weasley was now sitting with Lyanna on the couch.
   
"Hello George," I greeted him, smiling as best as I could.
   
"Hello Professor," he greets back, "I hope you don't mind the drop in, Lyanna invited me to come meet her new sister."
   
"Oh not at all," I assure him, "Happy to have more people besides my baby to talk to."
   
"Hello Lupin," says George, looking up at Remus and smiling.
   
"Hello George," he greets him back.
   
Looking at my daughter's boyfriend holding my new baby and my daughter smiling down at her sister was such an odd look to me. They looked like their own little family. Like Lily was their baby, not mine. It was so odd to me. I didn't really like it. I am not ready for that yet.
   
"She's adorable, isn't she?" Says Lyanna as she places a hand onto Lily and she takes her finger in her entire tiny hand.
   
"She is," smiled George.
   
"Don't you two go getting any ideas now," I say, my tone a bit sharp.
   
"I want a big family, like the one I grew up in," says George, who was still smiling.
   
"Oh that would be fun," Lyanna beamed, looking up at George, smiling. "Seven kids running around the house must have been a riot. I would love that."
   
"Alright, that's enough," I say, stepping in front of them, "Hand over the baby before you two continue planning on making me a grandmother. No more baby fever for you."
   
I took Lily from George and I sat on the couch and started to bounce the baby so she wouldn't fuss. Fred entered the door a little bit later, behind him was Ginny and Walker Owler, who Bradley was very happy to see. Fred gave Remus a look.
   
"I wasn't expecting to see you, Lupin." He said as his greeting.
   
"Good to see you, too, Fred, Ginny. Hello Walker."
   
"Hi Lupin," Walker greeted Remus and headed over to where Bradley was in the kitchen and kissed him on his cheek. Remus looked at me.
   
"I'll tell you later," I said softly. He nodded.
   
We had a good visit, right before the kids had to leave to go back to school, Garrett Chase showed up. "I'm here to meet my Goddaughter!" He exclaimed excitedly. He stopped when he saw Remus and he asked what I knew the kids wanted to ask, "What is he doing here?"
   
"It's a long story." I said quickly,"He's here to be a father and see his daughter."
   
He nodded, understandingly, and then changed the subject, "You're the one dating Lyanna." He asked, looking at George."
   
"That's me," George smiled proudly.
   
He turned his head and looked at my son in the kitchen, "And you're Bradley's boyfriend?"
   
"Not quite yet," Bradley said quickly, "We're taking it slow."
   
"Slow is good," said Garrett. "No shame in that." Then he looked at me again, "Hand me my Godchild, woman."
   
"Here you go," I said as I handed her over.
   
His eyes lit up looking at her, "Hi sweetheart, oh you are so adorable. Ellie, you finally have one that looks like you."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "I know, finally."
   
"She's adorable," Garrett said as he smiled looking down at her. He was absolutely gushing.
   
"She's absolutely beautiful," said Remus, who was also smiling.
   
It was nice to see Remus actually being a father. But I was really waiting for him to be here full time. To deal with the sleepless nights and the absolute nightmare of being a parent can be. That would be his real test. Parenting has its rewarding moments, too, but it's the hardest job I've ever had, that was for sure.
   
Garrett had a conversation with Bradley, and I was glad that Bradley had someone in his life that can understand him in ways I cannot. The kids couldn't stay very long. They had to get back to the castle for dinner. Lily started crying, and it was because she had a full nappy, and Remus gladly accepted the job of changing her and took her off to her nursery.

-Remus-
   
As I was changing my daughter, I could hear the conversation that Ellie and Garrett were having from the other room. Garrett started it by saying, "So he just showed up?"
   
"Yeah," she said, "Said he made a mistake and wanted to be in our daughter's life."
   
"And yours, too, no doubt."
   
Ellie chuckled, "Yes, but I told him that we will just start with him being in Lily's life first and then we'll work on us later. I want to make sure he's not going to change his mind before I decide anything about him and I."
   
"You'll be back together by your birthday," he teased her.
   
"More than likely not," she assured him. "He won't win me over again that easily."
   
"You've been in love with him since you were sixteen, even when you were married you knew Remus was the one you truly wanted. Once you two are alone again, you'll fall for him again and you'll be back together in no time."
   
"I'm not so sure about that. I almost considered telling him to leave, but just because I can raise Lily on my own doesn't mean that I want to. It's been two weeks and I'm exhausted. I haven't had a full night's sleep since she was born. I could use the help, and if he's willing to help me then I'll let him. That doesn't mean that I want to be with him. What he did hurt me so much. It's going to be a while before I forgive him completely."
   
"You're a better person than me," he says, "if that were me, then I would have told him to shove off and kicked him out."

They both laughed at that, and I went to turn with Lily in my arms and I saw Sirius standing in the doorway. I nearly jumped at the slight. "Hello Moony." He greeted me, "Good to see you. Fatherhood looks good on you."
   
"Sirius," I gasped.
   
"Who else is here?" Sirius asked, "I heard voices."
   
"Garrett Chase," I told him and he nodded.
   
"Alright, call Ellie in here," he says and then he turns himself into a dog.
   
"Ellie," I called, "Can you come here for a moment please?"
   
"Coming," she called and then she was in the room a moment later. "What's the matter?"
   
"You have a visitor," I told her, and she noticed the dog.
   
"Padfoot," she greeted him, "Hi, wait right here."
   
She took off and then was back a moment later with a parcel and handed it to Sirius who took it in his mouth as she told him, "I know I told you he wasn't here, but he was sitting on my couch with my older kids when I got back. It surprised me, too."
   
Sirius rubbed his head up against her as a thank you and then left. He obviously couldn't stay, but it was good to see him, to know he was alive. Ellie and I looked at each other. "He came to visit Harry. That's why I wasn't here when you showed up. I told him to stop by before he left and I'd give him some food."
   
"That was very kind of you," I say, and then the baby in my arms made a noise. I looked down at her. "I know, mummy is very kind, isn't she."
   
Ellie was smiling when I looked up at her again. But then she quickly walked out of the room leaving alone with Lily again. She was still angry at me, and not for good reason. But I will make it up to her. I will, if it's the last thing that I do. It's what she deserves.
   
Once Garrett left for the night, it was time to put Lily to sleep. Ellie let me do it, because I asked to. I needed to bond with Lily, so I will take as much alone time with her as I could. When I came back out, Ellie was doing the dishes, and she had cut herself on a knife.
   
I sat her down and performed the spell to stop the bleeding. And we sat on her couch together. "You're exhausted, Ellie," I said. "Why don't you go to sleep. I will take care of the dishes and you sleep through the night. Don't you worry I'll take care of Lily."
   
She started crying. My heart broke seeing it. It was my fault that she was so exhausted. For two weeks she's been running on hardly any sleep. All because I left her alone to take care of Lily. She cried into her hands. She was just so defeated. I held her as she cried. It was all I could do. I just had to be there for her and show her I wasn't going anywhere.
   
After she finished crying, she actually apologized, like she had done something wrong. "No don't apologize, Ellie." I told her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't here. You wouldn't be this exhausted if I had just been here. This is my fault. You go to bed, get some sleep, and you sleep as long as you need to."
   
She nods, and wipes her eyes one more time before heading to bed.

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Here's part 42!

So Remus is here to stay now. Hopefully. He's got some things to make up for.

-Emily Winchester.