Author's note:This fic is named after and inspired by the song 'Like It Like That' by Guy Sebastian. The idea of writing a fic based on this song has been with me for a couple of years, and I'm very glad to get it written. It is rated M for a reason. Be aware.

Like It Like That

Teddy sat contemplating his butterbeer and that day's edition of the Daily Prophet. The Weird Sisters were playing on the WWN in the background, but Teddy wasn't paying them much attention. He had only just returned from a conference on Magical Creature Controls in Romania. It had been a fairly interesting conference, for once, and he had lots to report back on to his head of department in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

His contemplations were interrupted by a knock at his door. As he stood to answer it, he wondered who could be there at such a late hour, even if it was a Friday night. His heart dropped when he realised that it could only be one person. He wasn't sure that he could keep coping with evenings like this, but he would also hate to turn her away upset.

Teddy opened his door to reveal the expected: Lily Potter. Though, tonight she wasn't in tears. Tonight she was positively seething. He held the door open and she stormed past him into his flat and started pacing backwards and forwards in front of his fireplace. Teddy shut the door and retrieved two butterbeers from the kitchen.

"I'm going to need more than butterbeer tonight," Lily said rather forcefully.

He swapped the two bottles for a half full bottle of fire whiskey and two shot glasses. Lily quickly emptied the glass he handed to her and turned to face him.

"The good stuff, hey, Teddy?" she said smiling, but still managing to look angry at the same time. It was a scary look, as she looked slightly evil with the glint in her eye and the smile. It still made Teddy's heart race, though.

"Nothing is too good for you, Lily-Pilly," he said as he refilled her glass.

"Thanks, Teddy-Bear," she replied.

He smiled at their use of their childhood names for each other. It was something that he'd discovered that helped to calm her down when she was upset or angry like tonight. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" he eventually asked.

Lily sipped her second shot of fire whiskey and sighed. "He makes me so angry," she said.

"I think I prefer you being angry with him, rather than being upset," Teddy said. "I hate when he makes you cry."

"Do you know what he said to me?" Lily asked. "He is so egotistical and arrogant sometimes," she continued before Teddy could say anything.

Teddy sighed. He thought it was more than sometimes. Joseph Corner was an arrogant bastard. And when Lily wasn't around he really let it show. But somehow Lily was enamoured with Joseph and even though she was reduced to tears by him, or so angry with him, like tonight, she stayed with him, much to Teddy's disgust. "What did he say?"

Lily almost growled before she spoke. "He told me that he was surprised that I got chosen over Connor Smith for the promotion. He said that it should have never been given to a witch and that kind of job was wizard's work and not for me..."

"You got the promotion?" Teddy asked excitedly.

Lily stopped mid sentence, nodded, and smiled at him.

Teddy jumped up and hugged her tightly to him. He tried to ignore his body's elation at being so close to her by spinning her around. "That's fantastic, Lily-Pilly!" he said happily once he had placed her back on the ground. Lily laughed up at him. She looked a little red in the face, probably from the fire whiskey, he thought. Her face then turned back to looking angry. Teddy sighed. "There's more, isn't there?"

She nodded. "He then pulled the big one. He said I only got the promotion because I'm Harry Potter's daughter."

"Lily!" Teddy groaned, throwing his head back in frustration. "Why..."

"Why...what?" she asked him.

He sighed again. Should he tell her what he thought of Joseph, or should he keep his mouth shut? Should he finally tell her how he felt about her?

"Teddy?" she asked.

"No, it's none of my business," he said.

"You sound like Dad," Lily said. "I know he doesn't like Joseph. He doesn't like his dad, either. I know Dad's waiting for me to come home and say we've split up. Mum's not so bad, but she does drop the odd hint or comment."

Teddy was itching to ask when that day would be, but he held back. There had to be a reason why Lily stayed with him. And he dreaded knowing what that reason was.

Suddenly, Lily started to cry and it wasn't just tears running down her cheeks. She was sobbing. Teddy grabbed her against his chest and pulled her down onto his couch so that she was almost lying across him. She kept crying and muttering, and Teddy just held her and rubbed her back. He occasionally muttered reassuring nonsense to her trying to calm her. Gradually the sobbing eased and she was left hiccoughing in his arms. He kept rubbing her back with one hand and played with her luscious red hair with his other until she was quiet and asleep in his arms. Teddy gently laid her down on the couch and disentangled himself from her, before sliding to the floor next to the couch so that his face was close to hers.

As he sat there watching her sleep, he wondered if Joseph ever spent time like this with Lily. Did he listen to her talk about what was going on in her life? Did he hold her and watch her? Did he actually love her? Lily insisted that he did, but Teddy thought that it was a strange kind of love. At first they seemed happy together, but more and more Joseph had been upsetting her. And even though this meant her visits to Teddy were becoming more frequent, he couldn't enjoy them when she had been treated like this.

Nearly four years previously, Teddy had arrived at his home away from home, the Potter's House, for Christmas, and was shocked to see sixteen-year-old Lily. He hadn't seen her since the previous Christmas as he'd been away all summer investigating werewolves. She had grown up and filled out spectacularly in the year since he'd last seen her and had turned into a lovely young woman. Teddy found himself enjoying her company over the holiday, as well. After Christmas, he tried to keep her out of his mind, as she was still way too young for him to be interested in her romantically. But he did keep in contact with her while she was at school and visited her on her holidays.

When Lily left Hogwarts, Teddy allowed his thoughts to relax a little and then admitted to himself that he liked her quite a lot. He didn't say anything to her, though, as he had no idea if she saw him as anything more than a friend.

Harry must have noticed something as he pulled Teddy aside at Christmas. Teddy was extremely nervous to start with, but Harry was not angry at, or against Teddy's feelings for Lily. He just wanted Teddy to be careful and take things slowly.

Unfortunately, it was just after Christmas that Lily met and started seeing Joseph. At first Joseph seemed okay. He was reasonably friendly with everyone but a little uptight. He definitely didn't like anyone calling him 'Joe' as Teddy found out. Joseph became quite pompous when Teddy called him that and said very formally that no one ever called him anything other than 'Joseph' and that was what he wanted to be called. This was Teddy's first clue at Joseph's unsuitability for Lily.

Teddy hardly saw Lily during the first six months of her going out with Joseph. At the end of the following summer Lily appeared at his door looking upset but she wouldn't tell him why. Just before last Christmas the same thing happened. When she appeared at the end of January in tears, he managed to get her to tell him that she and Joseph had had a huge argument. After that, her visits had become more and more frequent. It was only about ten days ago that she had last visited Teddy upset.

Teddy was in love with Lily. He would readily admit it to himself, but wouldn't tell anyone else. Harry knew, of course, and had talked to Teddy about it on odd occasions over the last year and a half that Lily had been with Joseph. Both he and Harry agreed that she would be much better off without Joseph. They just hadn't been able to tell Lily that, especially as she was just as proficient at the Bat Bogey Hex as her mother.

Teddy stayed next to Lily and eventually fell asleep sitting against the couch with his head next to Lily's on the couch cushion.

..::XXX::..

Teddy woke hours later in the pale light of early morning feeling quite uncomfortable. He then saw Lily's face in front of him and remembered why he had slept in that position. He then realised that her hazel eyes were open and she was looking at him intently.

"Thanks, Teddy," she said quietly.

"It's fine, Lily. I just want you to be happy, and honestly, you haven't been happy lately," he said.

"I know, Teddy," she said. "I know that I have to talk to Joseph…"

"Lily, you need to do more than talk to him," he said with frustration. He lifted his head off the couch to look at her properly.

"A few well placed Bat-Bogeys maybe," she suggested as she moved to a sitting position.

"More than that," Teddy replied. He sat up straight and looked at her sternly. "You can't let him treat you like this. It's not healthy."

Lily sighed and looked at him carefully. "I know," she whispered and then dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap.

Teddy lifted her chin with a finger and watched her. "What are you going to do?"

She shrugged and brushed a couple of tears from her cheeks. Eventually she looked directly into his eyes. "I don't know, Teddy."

"Do you like the way he treats you? Do you want to be treated like that forever? Do you want it to be like this all of the time? Do you like it like that, Lily? Or would you prefer something better?" Teddy asked. He couldn't help it. After all the weeks and months of holding his thoughts back, he just couldn't do it any more. He had to let her know that Joseph wasn't good for her. It might wreck their friendship, but at least she would see the truth and leave him.

Lily had tears running down her cheeks and she was shaking her head. "No," she whispered. "I don't like it."

Teddy gathered her in his arms and pulled her close to him. He kissed her lightly on her temple and rocked slowly back and forth as she cried. "You need to find yourself someone who treats you like a queen."

"Where am I going to find someone like that, Teddy?" she asked through her tears. "No one wants to treat me like that. All men are the same, Teddy. They just want what's good for them, whether it's work, dates, or even sex - it's all about them."

"Not all men are like that, Lily," he said quietly.

"Where am I going to find one who's happy to be with me and not be intimidated by my family and my job, and who'll make me feel good?" Lily asked.

Teddy sat there quietly. Now was his chance if he was willing to take it. Should he tell her?

"Teddy?" Lily asked, pulling away from him and looking up into his eyes.

"Er..."

"Where, Teddy?"

"Here," he eventually replied. He wanted to look away from her, but also wanted to see how she would react.

"You?" she asked. "You want to be with me?"

He nodded.

"You're not concerned about what my family would say?"

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"Do you think I should have gotten the promotion?"

"Of course you should," he replied. "You deserve that more than anyone else, Lily."

She smiled and then looked at him slyly. "Would you make love to me, or just shag me?"

Teddy threw his head back at that image. "Oh, Lily, I would kiss you all over and make you feel like you've never felt before, and I'd do it all night if that's what you wanted."

"Show me," she said.

"What?" he said, sitting up straight and staring at her intently.

"Show me," she repeated. "Show me what it should feel like. Kiss me all over. Make love to me all night...well, all day."

"Really?" he asked amazed.

All it took was her nodding and his mouth was covering hers. He pulled her against him with one hand and knotted the other hand in her hair. Her lips felt soft and glorious against his. He could not believe that he finally had the chance to kiss her. He had been waiting years for this moment and he was definitely going to enjoy it and take the chance to show her how good they could be together.

He moved his mouth away from hers and kissed his way across her jaw to her ear. Lily moaned as he kept his lips moving down her neck to her collarbone. Her moan was much louder when he softly bit her where her neck and shoulder met. His hands were moving as well; one hand was gently rubbing her breast and the other was roaming over her firm backside. Her hands were moving, too. They had found their way under his shirt and she was scratching her fingernails up and down his back. His lips slowly found their way back to her mouth and he kissed her hard, his tongue teasing hers and then running along her teeth. His hands pushed her shirt up so that he could run his fingers along her soft flesh.

When Lily pushed his shirt up as far as it would go, Teddy pulled back a little and looked at her carefully. "Are you sure about this, Lily?" he asked between shaky breaths.

She looked at him from heavy, languid eyes that were filled with passion and desire. "Don't you dare stop now, Lupin."

He laughed and stood up, pulling her up with him so that she ended up pressed against his chest. Both their shirts were still slightly raised and he could feel her smooth stomach against his. He pushed her shirt up and over her head and then dropped to his knees so that he could kiss his way across her stomach. Her skin there was obviously sensitive as she giggled as he kissed and ran his bristly cheek across her belly. He moved to stand and kissed her breast through her lacy bra. He giggles very quickly became moans, causing him to lift her so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he walked into his bedroom, kissing her on the way.

He gently placed her in the middle of his bed and crawled so that he was above her, holding her gaze with his. He ran his hand from her neck down to the button of her jeans. He played with the fastenings on her jeans for a few moments until Lily nodded. Then he undid the button and zip and pulled them down. He looked up and down her beautiful body and then followed his gaze with his hands. He loved the feel of her skin under his hands and then changed to explore her skin with his mouth. Lily writhed under the attentions of his mouth and happily removed her underwear to give him access to her whole body. At the same time he quickly removed his shirt and jeans and then lay down beside her.

Lily pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. He returned the kiss and a little later started kissing his way down her body. When he reached her belly button she started to squirm and giggle. When he went lower still, she looked at him curiously.

"You don't have to…"

"Oh, yes, I do," he replied quickly, before flicking his tongue across her clit ,causing her to scream. "Good?" he asked her with a cheeky smile.

"Don't stop,"

Teddy didn't need to be told twice. He licked and sucked and generally did anything he could think of to give her pleasure. It wasn't long before her body was shuddering beneath him and he kept going until she had calmed.

"Oh, sweet Merlin, Teddy!" she exclaimed a little later.

He laughed and moved up the bed until his face was in line with hers.

"You don't mind doing…that?"

"Lily, I love doing that. You taste so good," he said huskily.

"I do?"

In reply, Teddy leaned over and kissed her. "Uh huh," he muttered when he pulled away. Lily grasped the back of his head and pulled his mouth back down to hers. As they kissed, her hands roamed down his back, onto his hips, and then slipped into his boxers. It was his turn to moan as she took him in hand and rubbed up and down his length. A little later she pushed his boxers down and he helped her remove them totally. Lily ran her hand over his abdomen and then chuckled.

"I never imagined that all your hair changed colour," she giggled.

Teddy laughed and brushed a kiss on her nose. "Silly, Lily. Did you think it stayed a nice boring brown or something?"

"To be honest, I hadn't even considered it," she replied. "I wish I had, though."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Mmmmm. We might have done this before now."

Teddy groaned at that thought. "Better now than never," he said, before lowering his mouth back to hers.

"Teddy…" Lily huskily moaned a while later.

He lifted his head from her breast and looked at her. She was looking at him with dark, dark eyes and a gloriously sexy smile.

"You okay?"

She ran her hand through his turquoise hair and kissed him slowly. "I want you inside me," she whispered.

He groaned. All his fantasies were being played out and he couldn't help but smile. He moved a little until he was above her and kissed her again and nibbled against her collarbone before pushing his length inside her. As he entered her, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him deep inside her causing them both to moan loudly. They moved together in a perfect rhythm until he took a moment to consider that he was making love to the woman of his dreams, and then he had to work hard to control himself until Lily was once again writhing and shuddering beneath him. Teddy then let himself go.

Teddy pulled Lily into his arms and spooned her against him as they caught their breaths.

"I know I said it before, but sweet Merlin, Teddy. That was so good."

He chuckled at the way she dragged out the 'so'.

"I've never...felt this good before," she said quietly.

He could tell it took her a lot to admit that. "Why...what made you..."

She rolled onto her back and looked at him intently. "Because, I know you won't hurt me. You'll support me and look after me. You're one of my best friends, Teddy. I wish I'd realised before now that I'm also very attracted to you."

He smiled and pulled her tight against him and watched her fall peacefully asleep in his arms. "I love you, Lily-Pilly," he said quietly before falling asleep.

..::XXX::..

Teddy was woken by a noise. He heard someone walking in his flat, calling his name. The door to his bedroom opened and his godfather's head and shoulders appeared.

"Hey Teddy. Have you seen...ahh..."

Teddy watched Harry quickly retreat out of his bedroom and had a little chuckle. He carefully rolled away from Lily, who was still peacefully sleeping, quickly found his clothes, and went out to the kitchen to find Harry.

"Sorry," Harry said. "I should know better than to walk into a bedroom."

"That's okay, Harry," Teddy said, rubbing his back nervously.

"I was worried about Lily. I heard she got the promotion and she hadn't come and told us. She wasn't at her place...or his...so I came here..."

Teddy chuckled. Harry was as nervous as him, it seemed. He moved around the kitchen and made two cups of tea and then sat at the table across from his godfather.

"She came here really angry last night. He told her she didn't deserve the promotion. She ended up in tears and fell asleep on the couch. When she woke up she said she was going to talk to him," Teddy said. "You know I think she imagines that every guy would treat her like he does."

Harry nodded and gave Teddy a wry smile. "I take it that you showed her that's not the case."

Teddy stared at Harry for a long time and then noticed his godfather's shoulders were shaking. Very soon Harry started to laugh.

"You know that that's the last thing that any father wants to see, right?"

Teddy nodded.

"I hope you made it memorable," Harry stated.

Teddy smiled at him and nodded again.

"Good."

Teddy's bedroom door opened and Lily padded out neatly dressed.

"Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Hi, Lils," Harry said smiling cheekily at his daughter.

"I...we...this isn't...oh, Merlin!" she said as she sat herself at the table and dropped her head into her arms.

Harry leaned over and rubbed his daughter's head affectionately. "We heard about the job. Congratulations."

Lily sat up quickly. "Thanks, Dad."

"You deserved it," her father told her.

Lily smiled and looked quite happy for a moment. She then stood up again and looked at her father and then Teddy. She then quickly walked to the door. "I've got to go," she said as she grabbed the door handle.

Teddy stood up quickly and walked towards her. "Lily…"

"I have to go. Bye, Dad," she said and then turned to Teddy. "I'll talk to you later." She then walked out the door.

"Lily!" Teddy called after her but she had already gone.

..::XXX::..

Teddy spent the rest of the weekend on his couch. He had no idea what Lily was doing or how she was feeling. She had left in such a hurry, that he didn't get the chance to talk to her about what had happened and how he really felt about her. Harry had left not long after his daughter. He had, at least, tried to cheer Teddy up by reassuring him that Lily would return. But she hadn't and now Teddy was feeling a little worried. Had Lily gone back to Joseph, or was she now regretting what she and Teddy had done? Should he get off his arse and go and see her? He stayed on the couch with the paper and several empty bottles of butterbeer beside him and came to the conclusion that if he hadn't seen her by the time he finished work the next day, he would go and find her.

Teddy spent his Monday trying to recapture his enthusiasm for what had been discussed at the conference. Unfortunately, Lily kept popping into his mind at odd times and distracted him from the topic at hand. He did eventually finish his report to the Head of Department and then went to the Ministry cafeteria to get some lunch. It was there that he ran into his godfather.

"Harry," Teddy said as he sat at the table next to his godfather.

"Hiya, Teddy," Harry replied happily. He then had a good look at his godson and frowned. "Are things all right?"

Teddy sighed.

"That good?" Harry said. "Is it Lily?"

"I haven't seen Lily," Teddy said quietly.

"Ahh…," Harry said. "She hasn't been home to see Ginny or me, either."

"I just hope she isn't with…him," Teddy said.

Harry patted him on he back. "Me, too, Ted, me, too."

"I think I might go and check on her tonight," Teddy said. "After work."

"Sounds good," Harry replied, nodding. "You'll let me know if she needs help, won't you?"

Teddy looked at Harry. He was obviously worried about his only daughter. "I will, don't worry."

"Good," Harry said with a grim smile.

..::XXX::..

Teddy Apparated to the alley beside Lily's building. He then walked in and up the stairs to Lily's floor. As he headed up the last flight of stairs he heard loud, angry voices. The door to Lily's flat was closed but he could hear Lily and Joseph clearly and he didn't like what he was hearing. Joseph was clearly not happy.

"YOU CAN"T JUST TELL ME IT"S OVER," Joseph yelled.

Teddy couldn't hear Lily's reply but he was very glad that Lily was trying to break free from him.

"I'M NOT TAKING THIS. WE ARE NOT BREAKING UP."

Lily could hear the sound of Lily replying but not what she said.

"YOU BITCH!"

He then heard the sound of stomping, banging, and yelping. He couldn't just stand by when Lily could be getting hurt behind that door. Teddy walked over quickly and opened the door. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight that greeted him. It definitely wasn't what he had expected. Joseph was cowering in the corner beside an armchair with his arms above his head and winged bogies flapping in front of his face. Lily was standing over him with her wand trained at his face, and an evil grin on her face. She turned at the sound of his laughter.

"Teddy!" she exclaimed, her smile changing from evil to happy.

"I was going to ask if you were okay, but I see that you have everything under control," Teddy said.

"I think that I've made my point," she said. "I doubt he'll underestimate me again."

"Good to hear, Lily-Pilly," he replied. "Though, I'm kind of hoping that you won't be seeing him again for him to underestimate you."

"I don't intend to see him again, Teddy-Bear," Lily said.

She then flicked her wand and the Bat Bogies disappeared. Joseph stood up quickly and hurriedly walked to the door. He looked as if he was about to say something, but then scowled at Lily and Teddy before leaving, slamming the door behind him.

Teddy stood still and looked at Lily curiously. He was now a little nervous but didn't know exactly why. She was standing facing the door with her shoulders shaking. He walked over to behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She leaned back into his arms and looked up at him. He could see tears running down her checks so he hugged her tighter.

"I'm okay, really," she said. "I'm just glad that's over and done with. I don't think I realised just how bad he was for me until the last week."

"I'm just glad you eventually figured it out," he said. "I don't think I could handle seeing him treating you like that any more. I'm really glad he's out of your life."

She turned in his arms and stepped back a little. "You could have said something."

Teddy walked over and sat on the couch. "I couldn't, Lily. That may have made it worse. You might have totally ignored me and not come near me again. That was something I definitely couldn't handle. Harry agreed with me, you know."

"I know Dad didn't like him, but what dad likes their daughter's boyfriends?" she said as she walked over and sat at the other end of the couch facing him.

"It wasn't just that, Lily. Harry didn't think that Joseph was a good person at all. He didn't want you separating yourself from the family over him, though, so we agreed to be around to help you and support you when things went bad."

"I can understand Dad thinking that, but I'm a little curious about you, Teddy-Bear," she said, looking at him curiously. "We weren't that close when I was little. You were away at school and then started working. But then we became close and you became my best friend, in a way."

Teddy shuffled awkwardly and scratched his neck. "Well shouldn't friends look out for each other?"

"Yeah, but that changed a couple of days ago, didn't it?" Lily said.

"Between us?" he asked. "Yeah, I guess it did."

Lily sat up and narrowed her eyes. "How long have you had feelings for me?" she asked suddenly.

"Wh…at?" Teddy asked.

"You obviously have some feelings for me or you wouldn't have been so…"

He laughed nervously. "Well that was hardly a hardship, Lily."

"Teddy, you're not the type of guy who sleeps with girls he has no feelings for," Lily said.

"All right, I have feelings for you. I have for quite a while," he said quietly.

"Yeah? How long?"

"Erm…a couple of years," Teddy said.

"Really?" Lily asked incredulously. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were too young to start with and then when I really admitted to myself how I felt for you, and was thinking of saying something, you met him."

Lily sat quietly for a little while and then looked at him intently. "Hang on…how do you feel about me?"

"Lily!" Teddy said slowly. "You just broke up with someone. I don't…this isn't...it's not..."

"Teddy, just tell me."

He sat still for a minute before looking straight at her. He then took a deep breath and spoke quietly. "I love you, Lily-Pilly."

She stared at him, her eyes open wide. "You do?"

"I do," he said. "But I don't expect you to jump into my arms after what happened on Saturday morning. You need to take some time to be Lily again and get settled in your new job."

She nodded.

"And I'll still be around. I'm still your friend and in a month, or two, or five, if you want us to be more than that, just let me know."

Lily gave him a smile, slid along the couch, and hugged him. "Okay, Teddy-Bear. That's sounds good."

Teddy pulled her tight and enjoyed the brief hug. "All right, now that that's over with...do you fancy some take-away?"

Lily sat back from him and smiled. "Chinese would be great...and you're buying."

..::XXX::..

A few months later, Teddy was in the sitting room at his godparent's house with a very full stomach after a huge family Christmas dinner. Harry and Ginny had disappeared and even though they had said they were resting, Teddy knew what they were up to. And by the reactions from the younger Potter generation, so did they and they were rather disgusted at the idea.

Teddy had spent the last few months trying to avoid spending too much time alone with Lily. He was okay around her in a group, but if he was alone with her, thoughts of that wonderful morning with her in his bed and arms would jump to the surface and he'd end up frustrated and full of longing. She had recovered well after ending her disastrous relationship with Joseph. She had put a lot of effort into her new job and was doing really well. She also spent time with her friends, including him. In fact, she had become quite the centre of attention when she was out with her friends, and to Teddy's displeasure, she usually had a few boys hanging around her looking hopeful. Though he had never seen her do anything more than talk with them, which reassured him a little. She hadn't mentioned, directly or indirectly, their morning together or their conversation in her flat over the past few months. She still visited him and she was as friendly as ever, but she did not cross the line and become over-friendly. He joined her on nights out with her friends, brothers, and cousins and they had fun together, but they hardly ever touched. He wanted more, but he didn't know if that would ever happen.

His musings were interrupted by footsteps and a wrapped box landing on his full stomach.

"Oof," he said after the box had hit him. He looked up to see Lily standing beside him. "You can't do that to me after all that food."

She laughed and his heart melted at the sound.

"What's this?" he asked holding up the box. It was prettily wrapped in Christmas paper with a ribbon around it.

"It's for you," she replied.

"Lily, you gave me a present this morning," he said. "I love it, by the way. It fits perfectly, but you shouldn't have spent that much on me."

Lily smiled. "But the dragon hide looks so good on you."

Teddy looked up at her. Her tone was not one he was used to, coming from her anyway. She never used that sultry, sexy voice. Not to anyone. He looked at her curiously.

"Open it."

Teddy undid the bow and opened the box. Inside was a photo. This, too, was wrapped in a ribbon. He looked at her curiously. She smiled and sat down on the coffee table right in front of him. He kept staring at her not knowing what to do.

"What..."

Lily laughed. It wasn't a belly laugh or a chuckle. This laugh was sexy. He gulped and adjusted the way he was sitting as his body was enjoying the effects of that laugh.

"I couldn't give you this with my brothers and parents around," Lily said. "Though, knowing what Mum and Dad are currently up to..."

Teddy laughed as Lily shuddered. He took the photo out of the box. It was one of Lily taken a few weeks previously when they were at the Burrow for a family gathering. He looked at Lily again.

"Boys!" she muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"Obviously I need to hit you over the head with something so that it sinks in," she said.

He swatted her with the box.

"I want you to unwrap me," she said quite matter-of-factly.

Teddy looked at her again. He could feel his smile widening. "Really?" he asked slowly.

She nodded. "I've been wanting to ask you to do that for ages, but you were right. I needed time to get over things and get my life in order again."

"And..."

"It's all in order now," she said smiling cheekily. "And I want you in my life."

"I've always been in your life, Lily," he stated.

"Okay...you're in my heart, Teddy. I want you in my life every day...in my bed, too, if you must know."

Teddy groaned and dropped his head back onto the back of the couch. The visions going through his head right now were extremely vivid. "Lily," he squeaked.

She chuckled. "I mean it, Teddy. I want to be a part of your life and you part of mine."

He sat up and leaned forward so that his lips were just in front of hers. She leaned in and they were kissing...slowly and passionately. His hands were in her beautiful hair and he was happy. Eventually they pulled apart.

"I love you, Teddy-Bear," she whispered.

"Love you, too, Lily-Pilly," he replied.

"Thank Merlin for that," Harry's voice was heard from the doorway.

Teddy and Lily spun around to face Harry. Ginny, who was standing beside her husband, was smiling happily. Teddy could feel the heat in his cheeks, having been caught by his surrogate parents kissing their daughter. Lily dropped her head onto his shoulder and was shaking. He looked down at her and was surprised to see she was laughing.

"It's fine, Teddy," Ginny said. "Both Harry and I are surprised it's taken Lily this long to get moving, that's all."

Harry nodded.

"I'll..."

"We know, Teddy," Harry said. "And now we'll leave you be."

After Harry and Ginny had left the room, Lily stood and held her hand out to Teddy. He looked at her curiously.

"Let's get out of here," she said. "I seem to remember you promising to make me feel like I've never felt before, all night long. I'd like to take you up on that offer."

Teddy groaned, pulled her close to kiss her, and Apparated her away.