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Two Weeks Later

Lily glared across the massive master bedroom of Scorpius's condo at her almost-boyfriend. "This isn't fair!" she snapped for the seventh time since they'd started arguing.

Scorpius frowned, obviously not pleased by the situation either, even as he strode from the bathroom, hair still damp, to stand beside her in the massive walk-in closet wearing only his underwear. Lily was in a similar state of undress, perusing her selection of dresses, trying to find the black one she knew looked like she was going to a Gothic funeral. Because, in a way, she was. Her parents already knew Scorpius, and when she brought him to dinner as her boyfriend, instead of him appearing as her brother's friend, but as her date, Lily knew her family was going to be upset. Especially after the most recent Harvey incident. Lily shifted, still uncomfortable with the way that had played out, and pushed through it, trying to stay mad and disgruntled enough she wouldn't be hurt by her family's pending outrage. At least, most of them. Okay, it was mostly just one person she knew would take major issue with it, but that was enough.

"Life isn't fair," Scorpius said tersely, plucking a white dress shirt from a hanger and slipping it over his shoulders.

"Stop being mature and understanding about this," Lily growled, unable to find the damned dress. She snatched up a royal blue garment instead, grumpy about everything. "It's not fair, and I know you're pissed about it, too."

"Being a grump doesn't alleviate anything," he replied, and smirked a tiny bit as Lily stepped into her dress and slid the straps on.

"Yes it does," she snapped back. "Zip me up, please," she growled, offering her back to him, shifting her mane of hair over one shoulder.

"You're being dramatic, honey," he teased, zipping her dress after doing up his trousers and pressed a tender kiss to the nape of her neck. "And you're just riling yourself up further."

Lily sighed. "Well I'm pissed; this is bullcrap!" she grumbled. Scorpius chuckled aloud a little. She glared at him over her shoulder as he pulled back to finish getting dressed. "It's not funny! Stop laughing at me, or I won't go shooting with you again."

"It's kind of funny," Scorpius said reasonably. "You pretty much live with me, and yet you're nervous that I'm having dinner with your parents, which I've done before. Numerous times."

Lily scowled. "It's not funny," she declared yet again. "My parents don't know that I'm temporarily staying here anyway, so there won't be any mentioning it, unless you feel like explaining to my mother why you think it's appropriate to live with me without proposing. Hell, my mom was barely okay with Harvey staying over weekends at my place and we'd been dating forever, let alone someone I've been seeing for less than a month!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Duly noted," he said and Lily sighed, because she hadn't meant to make it seem like he was comparing her relationship with Scorpius to that of the one she'd shared with her ex. Unlike Harvey, where things had progressed slowly, and as they matured, things with Scorpius had flashed hot and fast, and just kept getting hotter. It was as if they'd hit some kind of fast forward button, and even though she still barely knew him, at least time wise, Lily found herself falling hard for the tall, sexy blond. With Harvey, she'd literally been together with him for two years before she'd thought she might be in love with him, truly in love and not just infatuated. Then again, she reckoned, the start of her relationship with Harvey had been distinctly less dramatic than the start of things with Scorpius.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, because she was taking out her frustration at the situation on Scorpius, even though he'd been nothing short of amazing since she'd first bumped into him.

The tall blond merely kissed the corner of her mouth teasingly in reply, enticing her into turning her head to kiss him properly, groaning as his tongue darted out to taste her lower lip. "Don't be," he murmured after finally pulling back, leaving Lily a panting, half-horny mess. "You're right, the situation is shit, and I know you're not happy, but after that slick bastard got past your locks…" Lily looked up into stormy grey eyes that roved over her face intensely, as if cataloging every single iota of it to memory before returning to her hazel gaze. "Let's just say this is better than any alternatives that might equally satisfy me."

Lily's mouth quirked down, because she didn't need anyone, let alone some man, to run her life for her, whether for her protection or not, thanks very fucking much. But there was also something sinfully delightfully about the say Scorpius said 'satisfy', that rubbed her libido precisely the right way, and something decidedly endearing that he felt so strongly the need to protect her. And, she wasn't too proud to admit, after the Harvey incident, as she'd begun referring to it, she wasn't too keen on being all alone in her apartment either.

Which was why when Scorpius had suggested she move in, temporarily, with him, she'd agreed. She just hadn't thought her semi-boyfriend would be quite so overprotective that had she refused, he'd have found some other way of keeping her safe. It was almost unbearable and definitely gave her the urge to pick a fight about it, because she wasn't an imbecile, or incapable of protecting herself, of course. But she'd had most of the men in her life, even Albus to some extent, act with that level of paranoia about her safety, so she reckoned she was more fond of feeling like he had her back more than anything.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked after lifting onto her toes, raising both arms up to wrap around Scorpius's neck, face burying into his neck with ease of familiarity, breathing in the delicious smell of him. She was trying to convey without words she was both grateful for his help in what would have been, without him, a thoroughly terrifying and stressful time, and the hope that they were still good after her little outburst.

"Mmm, almost," Scorpius breathed, and she groaned against his mouth as he pushed his hands through her hair, messing it up thoroughly and making her look precisely, when he pulled back at last, like a veritable sex goddess. "Alright, let's go."

Lily who felt a burst of confidence after that kiss, was back to being a nervous wreck when they finally got into Scorpius's very nice car. She couldn't help but think of how much the last couple weeks had changed her life, and part of her was almost terrified at how much trust she was placing in Scorpius, a man she barely even knew, and yet had trusted implicitly. She couldn't help but think, as they drove to Sunday dinner, about the last two weeks, and the ups and downs that she'd faced.

The first half had been, in a word, amazing. She'd felt surprisingly energetic and upbeat for all her classes, and couldn't help smiling nonstop. Even after all her usual load of paperwork and the agonizing time she'd spent poring over her books to make sure all her bills would be paid, Lily felt the best she had in years. Especially when she woke up in bed with the tall sexy blond, who'd all but spent the weekend with her following Harvey's gruesome little prank. Although it wasn't every morning that first week, Lily had to admit, the few times it had happened most certainly contributed to her recent boost of happiness.

They'd made plans for her to teach him yoga on Friday, followed by another trip to the shooting range for Saturday, and Lily was looking forward to both dates, and the promise of another weekend spent entirely with Scorpius. So on Friday, after she'd bid the last stragglers goodnight after her late afternoon class, Scorpius had shown up, looking slightly intimidated, for their planned private yoga lesson. She smiled brightly at the blond's obvious discomfiture as she locked them into her studio and lead him back through the main area to a white door.

Despite her promises to make him hurt in places he hadn't thought he could hurt, Lily actually planned to go relatively easy on Scorpius, because she was more than hoping he'd still fuck her into screaming incoherency when they got home. And if that didn't happen, she didn't want to spend the evening with a man whining about strained muscles and sore joints along with a night of self-inflicted celibacy too. She opened the door and flicked a single light switch, then strode to the front of the room with confidence.

"Come in, Scorpius, and close that door behind you. This room won't stay warm with you letting all my humidity out," she teased as he hovered just inside the door, looking around warily at the partly lit room and then back at her. She stood at the front of her hot room and stripped her tank top, revealing her sleek, strappy black sports bra. Scorpius took a few steps forward.

"It's significantly hotter in here than the rest of your studio," Scorpius commented, the door closing with a soft click behind him.

Lily grinned as his stormy grey gaze dropped lower, watching her slide out of her leggings, revealing a matching black thong beneath. "There's also no windows," the redhead added, smiling. "This is my hot room. For the Bikram class I hold three times a week, and the bi-weekly beginner's hot yoga."

Scorpius nodded, looking curiously at her as she moved forward to close the gap between them, smoothing both hands up his stomach and chest, under his black cotton t-shirt, unable to resist feeling every perfect, muscled ridge of him. "I hope you don't remove your pants for any of your classes," he said, dipping his head to brush her lips with his, and Lily chuckled huskily.

"Not usually. You're a special case, though, and I thought you'd at least appreciate the reminder of what you'll be taking home." Scorpius groaned low in his throat, eyes darkening, and Lily felt a thrill of elated arousal jolt through her core as he kissed her, holding her firmly by the chin and pushing his tongue with hungry dominance into her mouth.

The long, lean redhead lifted onto her toes eagerly, unable to help arching against Scorpius, half considering just skipping the yoga and shoving her boyfriend down right there to ride him into oblivion as they kissed hungrily. Instead she pulled back, extricating herself from Scorpius's grip on her ass and hair, where his hands usually migrated, and turned around to head back to the front. She was pleasantly surprised to find Scorpius following like a well-trained puppy, and then laughed when he spanked her right ass cheek teasingly. "I'm not sure I want to wait until home time," the blond rumbled, fondling the luscious curve of her backside with his palm before sliding his hand inward, over the crotch of her sleek black thong.

"You'll have to," she replied, stepping away from his roving hand. "We made a deal, Malfoy, and I'm holding you to it." She turned and slid a hand, in retaliation, over the line of his half hard cock inside his athletic shorts.

"Damn."

She smiled and stepped back. "Did you stretch?"

"Of course," Scorpius replied cockily, and Lily shrugged. It would be worse for him if he hadn't. "Am I going to get a demonstration before we begin?" he asked.

"Of course," Lily shot back, smirking with him, and slapped at his hand as he reached out to spank her again. "But you'll have to cease and desist with the distractions," she added sternly.

"If you insist."

"Sit," she said, pointing to one of the two mats she'd laid out, then moved to reposition the other one as he acquiesced, making sure he'd have a front row seat. "I'm going to go through it once, introduce you to all the poses, then you'll have to follow along, and I'll correct where need be," she said, rolling out her neck and shoulders. Scorpius nodded and she turned and bent to touch her toes enjoying his grunt of approval.

"Ready?" she asked, standing once more and turning back to face Scorpius. He nodded, his grey eyes dark and intent on her, and Lily smiled. "Watch close." She moved through the poses at a medium pace, breathing deep and focusing on herself, and then, after she'd finished, watched Scorpius for his reaction. He looked amused.

"Is this supposed to hurt me?" he asked. Lily simply smiled.

"Of course not. Now get up, and we'll go through the poses I want you to hit, and the transitions, at the beginner pace." Her breathing hitched and hazel eyes widened, pupils almost blowing the colour from her eyes completely with how fast they dilated, as Scorpius eased his t-shirt off. She licked her lips as the cotton fluttered to the floor, revealing the broad shoulders and chiseled abs that made Lily's libido crank into overdrive and had her, once again, barely resisting the urge to throw Scorpius down and have her wicked way with him. "And don't think I'm going to be distracted even if you strip naked," she added huskily, hazel gaze dropping to the deliciously well-defined V of his Adonis belt despite her declaration.

Scorpius grinned, and Lily stopped breathing altogether as he teased the waistband of his shorts, but resumed as he merely readjusted them. "Always worth a try," he replied in a rough, utterly sexy voice. Lily pried her gaze from the tempting planes and hollows of Scorpius's naked body, along with the parts she could fill in from memory alone, and focused on the task at hand.

Lily wasn't at all surprised that when they made it back, after an hour long session that pushed Scorpius, despite his earlier cockiness, to his limits, to the blond's apartment, there was only one thing on her almost-boyfriend's mind. And she didn't mind at all that it seemed to be getting her naked and hopefully horizontal for ravishing as soon as possible, although standing upright against the doorjamb to his bedroom was also close to being acceptable.

By the time Scorpius had gotten them both naked and situated in his massive bed overlooking the ocean, buried balls deep in her and making Lily's eyes roll back in bliss with the maddeningly slow, utterly perfect deep pace he'd set, the redheaded woman had given up entirely on ever persuading Scorpius into taking up yoga seriously. But she also couldn't deny, when he put himself to it, there wasn't much she reckoned Scorpius couldn't do. Hell, she'd made sure he hit every pose she'd chosen perfectly before heading back to his, just to be sure Scorpius understood her life after all. And now that he'd shown himself not only able but willing to take a walk in her shoes and see it wasn't all just stretching and showmanship, Lily had no doubts he might just be the sort of man she needed in her life. Even after all the years with Harvey, she'd never managed to sweet talk, nag, barter or bribe him into coming to even a normal beginner's yoga class. That Scorpius was so keen on it spoke volumes to the redhead, even if it was only to be just that once, right out of the gate made Lily's heart melt a little, her like deepening dangerously.

When Lily woke up the next morning entwined with Scorpius, who still seemed to be sleeping, his breaths deep and even, eyes closed and mouth parted ever so slightly, she couldn't help smiling. She had no idea how she'd come to be so extraordinarily lucky to find a man not only as gorgeous, but as kind and loyal and utterly perfect for her as Scorpius was, but Lily found herself feeling immensely grateful she'd bumped into him as she looked at his smooth, sleeping visage.

So grateful in fact, she didn't hesitate to slide a hand down his chest, over the firm ridges and planes of his torso and stomach, to glide gentle fingertips over his half cocked erection. She watched his breathing change ever so slightly, then smiled again as she slithered downward and pressed a tender kiss to her favourite of his appendages. His stomach went solid for a beat, before it sunk in sharply with his breath and Lily's lips curled into a pleased grin as she tossed her hair and looked up into the sleepy but heated grey eyes of the man she found herself falling for.

Before either could either continue, or turn the tables, as the dark hue of Scorpius's eyes and the way he smiled slowly down at her indicated he might have tried doing, the sharp sound of frantic knocking at Scorpius's front door interrupted them. It was immediately followed by the telltale buzz of vibration announcing a call to Scorpius's phone from the direction of his pants, crumpled up on the floor. Lily couldn't help but feel a jolt of terror, but held it in as she sat up, then froze as there came more knocking, this time in a specific pattern.

Instantly the blond was up from bed, throwing the sheet aside and stepping hastily into his boxer briefs, putting a warning finger to her lips as he snatched up his Ruger from the night stand. Lily, still frozen, her pulse still thumping with desire but now laced with adrenaline and panic, watched him disappear out of the bedroom. For a beat, Lily was still rooted into place, half expecting the unknown worst, but then, when there was only silence, curiosity got the better of her.

She wrapped the sheet around herself and climbed out of Scorpius's bed, shuffling as quietly as she could to the door, trailing her makeshift robe behind her, and then Lily paused, holding her breath, at the sound of faint voices. She could only assume they were coming from the front door, but the redhead was certain one of them was Scorpius, and the other, she reckoned, was his second in charge. The words were muffled, so she leaned closer, trying to pick them out, not caring if she was technically eavesdropping.

"I don't want this getting out," said the soft, concise voice that held the weight of authority that she presumed belonged to Scorpius.

"There might not be a way for you t-" the slightly deeper, much more melodic sounding voice murmured back, and Lily's brows pulled together in confusion as she leaned in closer still.

"I know," Scorpius interrupted with an exasperated sigh, and she could picture him pushing a hand through his already mussed hair in frustration. "I want to catch this bastard out, but if what you're telling me is true…" Lily could picture her almost boyfriend frowning, mouth drawn into a firm line that gave almost nothing except his displeasure away, and then maybe pacing on the spot, like a caged animal just itching to get at its captors.

"It's true, Cap," the deep voice rumbled, and Lily leaned further still toward the hall, trying to hear everything, even if she wasn't sure of the context personally. "I was there myself." There was a muffled curse, and Lily, this time, wasn't sure who'd uttered it.

"I want to just - just fucking…" Scorpius growled, not finishing his sentence, and probably holding back the urge to. "We're going to get this guy," he said, and Lily gulped because she could hear the passion in Scorpius's voice. And she could picture him, when she closed her eyes, glaring defiantly at his right hand, his wide shoulders set back, proud chin tilted up, and grey eyes hard.

"Cap," came the reply, so low, Lily had to strain and lean right up against the door jamb to hear. "Don' you think you might be a little too...close, to this one?"

The redhead cringed, because she could picture poor Herc receiving the full force of Scorpius's most loathing glare. "No," came the short, gruff response.

"A'ight. I'll be sure to head off the call, then," Herc replied after a beat, and Lily heard Scorpius sighing once more. "Don' worry, Cap. We'll get him."

"I know," Scorpius said, and Lily froze, because she was positive she misheard the words he said next. Because falling for Scorpius she most definitely was, but she hadn't dared hope her sexy blond lover turned more might feel the same. But, unless her hearing had gone entirely, or she'd simply imagined the words, she could have sworn Scorpius said, "I just don't know if I'll ever be close enough, Herc."

There was the muffled sound of a large hand clapping over a shoulder, even as Lily, still numb with shock and surprise and an unmistakably warm feeling flooding her chest, shuffled slowly and silently back to the bed, vaguely hearing the door close and Scorpius's return. "Everything alright?" she asked, her mouth feeling funny as it formed the words when she both heard and felt Scorpius stop just inside the doorway to his bedroom.

"You heard," Scorpius replied, and when haze eyes flicked up to look at him, almost as though seeing him in a whole new light, she saw he looked troubled.

"Kind of," she admitted, biting her lip and looking down. She tried to stop the words replaying across her memory, tried to squash the bubble of bliss that rose within her at hearing them again, even in her mind, brought.

Scorpius sighed once more, moving forward, and placing his gun very gently down in its usual home on his bedside table. "I'm sorry," he said solemnly, and Lily, feeling her bubble of bliss pop abruptly, jerked her head up abruptly, looking at the blond man who just apologized for admitting he might be falling for her. Which put her, instantly, on edge, like maybe he was regretting the growing feelings for her in the wake of her troubling predicament with an ex who was bothersome.

"Why?" demanded.

Scorpius's brows shot up. "I didn't think…" He trailed off, looking at her, and then sat down beside her in bed, looking at her hands as if tempted to grasp one. Lily glared, her heart beating too fast, certain she was about to be told point blank her almost boyfriend couldn't handle it, that he was feeling too much, and was about to end things. "Wait, what did you hear?" he asked.

Lily gulped, knowing she could never repeat the words. "Enough," she replied stiffly, still braced for rejection, her shoulders and jaw tense.

Scorpius's dark grey eyes trailed over her suspiciously, trying to read her by facial expression and body language alone, but he was feeling like he was, maddeningly, missing a major piece of the puzzle. "Look, I don't know how to put this, but..." he said slowly, trying for delicacy. After all, he may have had his fair share of delivering unpleasant news, but that was usually to strangers, or people he hardly knew, not the woman he was starting to care for far more than he reckoned was healthy in so short a time.

"It's okay, you can just say you don't want to see me anymore," Lily said firmly, turning away from him.

Almost simultaneously, Scorpius nutted up and blurted out, "I think you should probably move in with me."

Lily blinked, looking shocked, and then her cheeks started filling with a boiling blush. For a beat, the blond merely stared at her. "What?" he finally asked, unable to make whatever synaptic leaps Lily had made without him.

"Uh, sorry?" Lily said, still looking embarrassed and shocked. "You want me to-?"

"You thought I was going to-?"

"I mean I thought-" Lily began, right as Scorpius hastened to explain.

"I just figured what with the locks on your flat being destroyed and the message from your ex, you'd-"

Lily's jaw dropped as her brows shot into her hairline and the blond broke off at her look of surprise. "He did what!?" she screeched, and Scorpius winced.

Needless to say, Lily had spent most of that day either filing her police report, once she'd demanded Scorpius take her back to her place to see just what had apparently gone down, or vacillating between extreme anger after seeing the wreckage, yet again, of her apartment, and holding in the urge to cry and fall apart at the seams. The last thing she needed, especially now after sticking her foot in her mouth like an idiot, was yet another reason for Scorpius to realize she was far from his best option for a significant other.

That Sunday she was far too busy, having pushed all her chores and errands aside the day before to simply hang out with Scorpius at his place after he moved the few necessary items from hers to his in secrecy with the help of Herc. She hadn't necessarily wanted to move in with a guy she barely knew, let alone had hardly dated a few weeks, but she hadn't felt comfortable staying in her apartment after seeing the way her locks had been destroyed and the message her ex had left either. And so, Lily had skipped dinner with her parents, sending a text that promised she was good, but too tired after a busy weekend. Of course, that excuse had gone over like a lead balloon, but then Lily told her mother, privately, she'd simply been too busy with Scorpius, and found she wasn't bothered past lunch on Monday about it.

And now, as they finally pulled into her parents' driveway in Scorpius's very respectable Lexus, Lily was running through a list of excuses to back right back out of the drive and go home. Before she could say a word, however, Scorpius shifted them into park and turned to face her. "You don't have to tell them, Lily," he said very softly, his dark grey gaze calm and steady, and she leaned into the warm, solid strength of his palm as he cupped her face.

"I really do," she breathed, closing her eyes and smiling a little ruefully. She was positive her father and oldest brother already knew all about the police report she filed, and she could only imagine how awfully the news she was staying with Scorpius, however temporarily, would go over to boot. She swallowed, then summoned her courage and opened her eyes, putting her hand over Scorpius's much larger one on her face and turning her head enough to kiss his palm. "But thanks," she whispered. "I'm not sure how I happened to find you, but I'm kind of really glad I did," she admitted, then promptly blushed and looked away, cursing her fair skin and the damnable warmth in her chest as she felt Scorpius's lips brush over her hairline at the center of her forehead.

"You assaulted me in a grocery store, remember?" Scorpius replied in a whisper, and Lily laughed, pulling back and feeling much better on the whole.

"Stop," she said, rolling her eyes, and opened her car door after unclicking her seatbelt. Scorpius followed suit and slid an arm around her waist as they headed up the walk.

"You're dreaming if you think I'm going to, honey," he rumbled against her ear, even as they drew level with the front door. Lily shot him a quelling look, but a slow, mischievous grin slowly spread over Scorpius's face. "Oh, this is going to be brilliant," he added, chuckling as the redhead elbowed him and headed inside. He followed hot on her heels, cupping the curve of her bum with one hand, making a point to firmly grasp the meaty cheek for a beat. Lily's glare only served to make him more determined, and Scorpius, although he was loathe to admit it, was embarrassingly excited to prove to his almost-girlfriend he wanted her no matter what life might want to throw at them, even if it happened to be her psycho ex. He was, finally, moving on from his own personal demons, and he was looking forward to a future with Lily, who he would protect, no matter the cost.

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AUTHOR"S NOTE: Super sorry this took a million years. But, on the flipside, y'all got a longer than I anticipated chapter, so...y'know, there's that. Thanks again to everyone who reads and enjoys, and especially the lovely people who review! Every single one of you is loved and appreciated.