Weeks passed in a blur. The first of a new year usually meant an influx of paperwork at the Sanctum. Formal request for funding had to be filed. Financial books had to be balanced. Profits and deductions were discussed thoroughly until Charlie wanted to scream and throw Curses at all involved in the meetings. The only time he was actively dealing with the dragons was in the early mornings and late evenings. Even then, all he did was provide food quickly. More than once, he had to remind himself that he was no longer a simple Dragon Tamer.

He was responsible for more than his own skin. He was responsible for every single body that was within the Sanctum on any given day. This meant both human and dragon alike. The only ones above Charlie were the owners of the Sanctum. And the brothers, David and Harris Fawley, were depending upon Charlie. He knew his resume, filled with experiences from over a decade abroad, spoke for itself. And yet Charlie wished to prove himself beyond those words on parchment. This meant each day began before sunrise and it did not end until well past midnight.

It was the first weekend of February before he managed to see his family for a traditional Sunday dinner, although he had managed several Floo Calls to his eldest brother. They were going through numerous treatments and had remained in France since the holidays. Charlie found himself worrying constantly. One too many letters from his mother had Charlie deciding he needed to dedicate some time at the Burrow. That Friday, he hastily bought a couple of ham sandwiches and tracked Delilah down. He offered the sandwich after she Charmed her hands clean. Lacking a seat, they sat in the grass directly outside of the main Wards. Both quietly ate before Delilah said, "You look very tired."

He gave a wan smile and replied, "I am. My eyes might start bleeding if I stare at numbers on parchment anymore."

She asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He nodded and replied, "Come to dinner at the Burrow Sunday."

Delilah said, "Sure, but I need to home to meet Gideon at six o'clock."

"Okay." Charlie shrugged, "No problem. I can have you home by five."

They were greeted warmly when they arrived that Sunday evening. This time, Harry and Ginny were there. Both greeted Delilah politely. She couldn't help but notice the eldest Weasley sibling was still missing in action. Bill. The Curse-breaker. The adventurer. The genius that was capable of complex Charm work and knew every Ancient Rune there was to know. He was but two years older than Charlie, so the two grew up together in the charming old house, sealing a deep bond Delilah only had an inkling about.

Angelina smiled brightly, patting the space on the bench beside her. Grateful, Delilah sat beside Angelina throughout the meal. They talked of Charm work George had developed in order to better tame Angelina's hair.

"He says he did it for me, but I know it was for Roxie. We received an owl from the Headmistress months ago. Roxie and Freddie had gotten detention for fighting in the corridors. Turns out, a classmate told Roxie she had ugly hair one too many times."

Delilah sighed, "Kids can be cruel. I wish I had half the volume you all have."

As dessert was passed about, Percy politely asked her what had brought her to Britain and Delilah scrambled for an answer. She knew that she lacked the local accent and sounded American. She was hoping panic didn't show on her face. "I have family here. I've lived in America most my life, but I was born in Scotland."

All were giving her polite, if curious looks, especially Hermione. Molly opened her mouth and asked, "Oh, really? Who is your family, dear?"

Delilah blinked. Charlie casually changed the subject by saying, "You did well with Brian and Belle Friday. I forgot to thank you for taking care of them. Damned paperwork. I'll be happy when we can get back to our regular schedule."

She looked to him as Percy abruptly asked, "You work together?"

Charlie answered easily. "Yes. Pass that custard, Dad, please."

The custard made its way down the mildly silent table. Delilah squirmed in her seat, eyes casting around before focusing on Charlie. Molly stood up and said, "So, you're a Dragon Tamer, dear? That certainly fits with Charlie."

She felt herself blushing. It was Charlie who gently corrected, "Handler. She's a Handler, actually."

Angelina and Hermione hastily started talking to their husbands. Both of whom adamantly began discussing business at the joke shop. Delilah bit her lip, hand jerking when Percy suddenly demanded, "Is this not considered quite inappropriate?"

"Percy." Molly snapped "You will mind your manners at my table, full grown man or not. You best apologize."

Charlie stood up and came around the table. He said, "Come on, Delilah."

"Oh, no." Angelina muttered, "Stupid berk."

"Really, Perce?" George grumbled.

"You don't have to leave." Ginny spoke up, irritably. "Sometimes Percy is a jerk. Sometimes we all are. Really, Delilah, Charlie. No harm was meant."

Delilah felt guilty for leaving early when it was clear that the dinner was not officially over yet. The awkward air was hanging terribly over her head and she hated the fact that such a big, happy family was upset because of her. She stood up and cleared her throat. She tried to give a smile and meet the eyes of everyone but Percy.

"The food was nice, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you. I'm sorry to have upset anyone. I really do need to go home. I have a…prior engagement to handle."

"Oh, dear." Molly came forward and threw a glare at her son over her should. She patted Delilah's hands, which were clasped in front of her. Charlie stood behind her, so closely that she could feel the warmth from his body.

Molly said, "You come back whenever you wish. We would be happy to have you. Any Sunday you want, yeah?"

Delilah smiled and nodded and took the plastic plate heaped full of cake, tarts, and cookies. Charlie took the plate from her and said, "We have to go, Mum."

Several people offered sincere goodbyes, including George, who promptly dumped mashed potatoes on Percy's head after calling out a farewell. Delilah gasped as Molly began to shriek and Arthur began to soothe his wife. Even after Charlie closed the front door, they could hear Angelina, Ron and Ginny's echoing laughter.

Delilah said, "Thanks for the distraction."

Charlie huffed, "My brother can be a nosy, pompous arse."

She nodded and replied, "I don't mind so much because it's pretty clear he doesn't mean to be rude. They'd all have to find out I work with you eventually."

Charlie offered his palm, which she took eagerly. They Apparated to her backyard and walked into her house. She offered tea, but laughed when he stood up to make it. He smirked, "Americans cannot make tea worth a damn."

He noticed the frown lines marring her forehead about halfway through their cup of tea. Another ten minutes had her pacing the wooden floors. Charlie finally asked, "He is late, I take it?"

"Yes." Her breath released in a hiss. "Twenty minutes past six is not sick o'clock sharp. I told him to put Gideon through the Floo."

Charlie quietly asked, "Has he ever been late before?"

"Yes." She sighed, tears welling in her eyes. She turned away from Charlie and went to the window. She stared out at the night and quietly said, "He does this because he knows how it upsets me. He knows I can't stand it when Gideon is away from me."

Charlie wanted to go to her, to wrap her in his arms and murmur sweet words into her ear. Charlie wanted to find him and make him hurt for doing this to Delilah. More than either of those options, Charlie wanted Gideon standing in front of him with toothy grins and happy chatter.

She muttered, "It is an hour past time."

Charlie murmured, "You can contact the authorities or we can get him ourselves."

She stared at him, eyes wide and teeth gritting together. He wasn't sure why she was looking at him like that, but an uncomfortable feeling tightened inside his chest. They waited a few minutes more before Delilah spun toward the fireplace, grabbed a handful of powder, and tossed it into the fireplace. She fiercely stated, "Andor Avery. Avery Estates."

And walked into bright green flames, disappearing into their depths. Charlie jumped up with wand clutched in his hand. He stared, rapidly blinking as the inferno of green grew cold and empty. Her words echoed inside of his head, slamming into his skull so hard that his temples were pounding with pain. Avery. Avery Estates.

He sucked air into his burning lungs and began his own frantic pacing. Half a dozen times, Charlie glanced toward the analog clock on the wall next to the television. The further time stretched on, the wilder and chaotic his thoughts became. He would send a Patronus to his father. To Bill. To George. Hell, to Percy. They would come. Charlie knew they would come without hesitation.

Except it was late in the evening and Bill was in France. He was in France, desperately trying to find answers to his wife's failing pregnancy. And his other brothers all had work to attend to early in the morning. And this wasn't an emergency, was it? Charlie wasn't sure. It felt like an emergency. His stomach was knotted and rolling as if he might vomit. His breath was harsh in the silence of the house. His footfalls were hefty and uneven, nothing like his usual finesse. Despite how much he drew in air, Charlie felt like his lungs were starving.

It was half seven when the flames roared to life, startling him into jumping. His wand was trained at the flames, but dropped when a trembling Delilah and a teary-eyed Gideon stepped from the fireplace. Her face was pale and her eyes too bright, but her jaw was clenched. She patted her son lightly on the shoulders and whispered, "Go have a bath. Don't forget to brush your teeth, baby. I will check on you soon."

Gideon nodded wordlessly and silently made his way down the hallway. When he passed by, Charlie slowly reached out a hand and carded his fingers through soft strawberry hair. He whispered, "Missed you, kiddo."

Gideon gave a faint, wobbly smile before darting away. Charlie turned to Delilah. She stared back, chin raised up and tensing as if waiting for a blow. He slowly tucked his wand in the waistband of his pants and held his arms open. There was pause and then the brittle mask broke. She was crying, softly sobbing as she tumbled into his arms. He folded her in as closely as possible, letting her press her face against his chest as hard as she wanted to.

Her voice trembled as she said, "I should have told you about him from the beginning. I was scared you wouldn't want to deal with it all. I'm still scared that you will think it is too much to deal with."

Charlie squeezed her tighter and whispered, "That won't happen."

"He's horrible." Delilah choked, "My family is Pureblood and so is his. It's complicated and stupid. As a teenager, I thought I had no choice. The wedding was arranged and I hated it from the start to the finish. By the time I realized how much trouble I was in, I was pregnant. I knew I had to get Gideon away from Andor, but it was so difficult. It took my family seeing a black eye and broken ribs before they believed me."

Charlie felt his body grow cold, except for his chest where her tears were soaking through his robes. She sniffled and wobbly said, "I'm trying to gain full custody of Gideon, but the Averys have influence here that the Fawleys don't. To be honest, the Averys have us beat financial, too. My uncles are barely managing the payments to our solicitors. The Averys keep pushing the court dates further back and that drags out the entire process."

Charlie's lips felt numb as he said, "The Weasleys may not have lots of money, but we have influence. We have more influence than anyone else."

Delilah stilled in his arms and scratchily asked, "What?"

He licked his lips and whispered, "Dad has been a faithful Ministry employee for his entire life and his friendly with mostly everyone in a position of power. Percy is Junior Undersecretary to the Minister. Harry is Head of the Auror Department and oversees the whole Law Enforcement Department. Hermione is Undersecretary and is personal friends with Minister Shacklebolt. Hell, there is serious talk of Hermione becoming the next Minister at the end of Minister Shacklebolt's term. Every family member I just mentioned has a seat on the Wizengamot as well."

Delilah slowly pulled away from him. Her face was splotchy and eyes red-rimmed. She stuttered, "W-What are you talking about?"

Charlie felt a sharp pain that stole his breath. He inhaled and fiercely whispered, "I'm talking about fighting with you. I'm talking about using what I have in order to help you protect Gideon."

She stumbled back and sank onto her sofa. He watched as Delilah hung her head and mumbled, "I can't let you do that."
"Why not?" He demanded and dropped to his knees beside her.

"This is huge, Charlie." She insisted, voice muffled as she covered her face with her hands. "I'm not sure if you understand what you are saying."

"I know exactly what in the hell I'm saying." He replied hotly.

There was a pause. Thoughts were still slamming around in his skull. Charlie swallowed heavily. "Do you love me?"

Delilah's head whipped up. Her eyes were stormy blue and wide. Her pale face grew paler as she whispered, "What did you say?"

"Don't do that." Charlie reached for her hands and gripped hard. He said, "Don't overthink or deflect. Just feel and answer honestly."

Delilah pressed her lips together as fresh tears trailed down her face. He could see the terror in her expression as she gasped, "Yes. Yes, I do."

He murmured, "Do you remember what you told me after our first night together?"

She frowned and then blushed. "I said many things."

He reached out, shifting both of her hands to one of his. The other swiped tears off of her face in a gentle caress. He said, "You told me you had never felt anything like that. You told me you had only been with one other person and you were glad you didn't suck at it with such little experience."

They both let out uneven laughs. Charlie kept swiping his thumb over her cheek as he said, "I never felt anything like that, either. Not until you, Delilah."

Delilah bit her lip and whispered, "I don't know what you want."

"Yes, you do." He corrected with a soft smile, "You know exactly what I want. I've made it clear many times. You're just scared and that's okay. I'm still here."

"What are you saying?" Her voice went up an octave in stress.

He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers and tasting salt. He pulled back and said, "Marry me. Marry me because you love me. Marry me because you love being around me. Marry me because you want to build a life with me."

She let out a sound very much like a whimper of fear. Charlie tightened his hand around hers and murmured, "I love you. I love Gideon. I will be a father figure for him. You both will be my family and you will gain a whole slew of annoyingly well-meaning people as family. We can laugh over dragon dung at work and keep Gideon at our side for every single holiday. He won't have to see that abusive man anymore. We can move so far beyond him. One day, we can create a little life together and give Gideon a sibling. Or a dozen. You and he and any other kids will know nothing but love from me."

Delilah fell into his arms, hugging him so tightly around the neck that he couldn't breathe. His arms banded across her waist and held. His eyes were squeezed shut as she let out a watery laugh. "Do you promise?"

"I do." He whispered, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.

"Then, yes." A thread of sound reached his ear. "I will marry you."

After the hiccup with Percy at Sunday Dinner, Charlie sent a brief letter to his brother in order to smooth things over. He had tried to remain polite, but found himself irritable every time he thought of the exasperating predictable response Percy had given. The letter read: Percy, life is not confined by set rules. I have my way and you have yours. Respect me and mine as I respect you and yours. Love, Charlie. It was not until several days later that he managed to slot time into his schedule in order to write a letter to Bill as he had not spoken to him in quite a while.

Dear Bill,

How is Fleur doing? No news is hopefully good news. I had a quick bite with Victoire at the Leaky the other day. She is thriving and enjoying her work. She is a nerd, just like her father. Always going on about Runes and Arithmancy equations. Teddy showed up and, of course, stole every bit of her attention. Wedding plans are certainly in your future, my brother. I sent letters to Dom and Louis, both seem to be concentrating on school and Quidditch. We all have plans to meet up at the Burrow for Easter hols. I hope to see you and Fleur. Send word when you have time, no matter how brief. Love, Charlie.

Delilah invited him over for dinner the following Friday. After feeding the dragons, and making a final round to make sure their charges were settled for the night, both Apparated to her house. They landed directly at the edge of the treeline behind the little tool shack. Charlie asked, "When will Gideon be home?"

Delilah cast a Tempus Charm as they entered. Both stomped their boots on the porch steps, scrapping and Siphoning off muck from the soles. She said, "About an hour. It's Friday, so my Uncle David takes him for ice cream directly after his lessons."

Charlie smirked and asked, "Fancy a bath together?"

Her cheeks reddened in the way he liked best. She let out a giggle. "Yes."

After an initial Cleaning Charm, to get the majority of sweat and dried dirt off of their bodies, Charlie and Delilah climbed into the large claw-foot tub. Charlie wordlessly patted his chest, legs widening underneath the water as Delilah slowly scooted closer. When her bare back finally settled against his chest, Charlie let out a low hum. His arms banded across her waist. His thumbs caressed the soft weight of her rounded hips beneath the water. Everywhere he looked, Charlie saw smooth, pale skin like fresh cream. Curiously enough, Delilah did not have many freckles. Just across the bridge of her nose and a light sprinkling over the tops of her shoulders. He leaned forwardly slightly, pressing his pectorals deeper against her shoulder blades as his lips and tongue traced each smattering of freckles across her upper shoulders.

She whispered, "I am so lucky to have met you, Charlie."

He paused his ministrations, giving her hips a little squeeze before saying, "I believe you meant to say I am the lucky one."

They lapsed into silence, so Charlie picked up the thick sponge lying on the lip of the tub, lathering it with herbal soap and beginning a gentle massage over Delilah's back. The suds slid sensuously down his own chest and arms as he worked. He could feel her body tensing and frowned. He asked, "What is it?"

"Do you…?" She broke off abruptly before saying, "Do you really want to marry me?"

Charlie dropped the sponge into the water, and pulled her closer. He reached up and touched two fingertips to her chin. "Please, look at me."

After a moment, Delilah complied and tilted her head back to a rather uncomfortable degree. Stormy eyes stared back at him, wide and so hopefully fearful. Charlie felt his chest grow tighter for a split second before he could breathe easily again. He was used to the sensation now.

"I love you, Delilah." He murmured, "I have never told a woman that before. Not one who was anything other than a mother, sister or niece to me. I'll marry you, care for you and Gideon, if you'll have me."

A slow smile tilted up the edge of those pink lips. "I love you too, Charlie."

He smiled slow and sure before playfully asking, "For the rest of our lives?"

She let out a laugh and splashed him with water. "Yes." She said, "Only if you want me, though."

"I do, Delilah." Charlie grinned. She watched freckles dance across his face. "I really do."

Epilogue

It took a year. One year of public scrutiny, of lawyers and documents and coin exchanging hands. Of heatedly whispered conversations around dinner tables and dark shadows under eyes from lack of sleep. One year of nosy reporters and surprising flashes of cameras when least expected. Endless months of the Weasley name splashed across newspapers, accompanied by many somber, freckled faces. The successful, and horribly troubling birth, of Fleur and Bill's third daughter added a sense of relief amidst the chaos. Even still, they could not keep the news out of the press as every move made was being observed carefully.

And yet, finally, one late August day, a little boy stood in the middle of a courtroom. His body trembled like a leaf in a storm, but his bright blue eyes never left his mother's face. She sat, ram-rod straight, in a chair. Charlie sat beside her, blocking most of her from view with his big body. He caressed her hair and held her hand. He gave the boy gentle smiles. Gideon didn't fail to notice both of them trembled, too.

Just behind Delilah and Charlie, there were numerous other seats and a sea of redheads. Big, tall, skinny, and stocky. Some with eye specs and some without. Freckles and long noses. Green and blue and warm brown eyes. There was Angelina, Harry, and Hermione as well. They didn't look like the Weasleys, but they were family anyway.

Those people, nice and kind and funny, were in the courtroom for him. He held onto that thought as all the fast-paced questions being asked came tumbling down. He tried to ignore all of the eyes and ears and cameras. When the final question came, the Minister's voice echoed strongly, "And do you wish to be rid of your father's, one Andor Avery's, custody from here on?"

"Yes." Gideon Avery rasped, "I want to stay with my Mom. And the Weasleys."

There was a pause in which all he heard was the hammering of his own heartbeat. Minister Kingsley, a tall and dark and broad man, stood up. He nodded once and said, "Very well. A decision has been made."

Gideon's knees knocked together and his bottom lip wobbled no matter how hard he tried to keep it from quivering. There was shouts and loud clicking from the cameras. He couldn't focus on the droning of voices any longer. There was stomping of feet and then he was swept up into his mother's arms. She smelled fresh and familiar as she hugged him to her chest. His slender arms wrapped around her neck and he clung to her. A quick glance showed very wide shoulders and a mop of red-hair hovering nearby. A small hand reached out. A big, freckled and calloused set of fingers wrapped around his own. Suddenly, all the loud people didn't seem like such a bad thing.

Two weeks later, Gideon Weasley stood beside his Mom and Dad as they were married underneath an apple tree in the Weasley Orchard. A month following that, he would learn that he was to become a big brother by winter. All was well.