not mine sadly, but enjoy none the less!

Fire;

She was born and he was eleven.

They brought her home late on a stormy night. Stormy, just like she was, shaking up their world from the very second she opened her tiny tiny mouth to let out a high, demanding cry. With a breath she had the whole family wrapped around her perfect little fingers, no one stood a chance against Lily Luna Potter.

Not even Teddy.

Harry would never understand why Teddy was so accepting of his baby girl. But then again, what did he know?

She was two and he was thirteen.

"Don't go."

She pouted prettily, shiny shiny tears held in her big green eyes. Teddy grabbed her in a hug, patting her red hair down (it never seemed to stay in one place).

"C'mon Lily, it's just like last year. I'll be back before you know it and you won't even miss me!"

She sniffled; if there was one thing that Lily was not - it was stupid.

"Mummy says it not good to lie," she reprimanded him (much like Ginny used to when he was her age).

"What mummy doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, if you don't let me go I won't be able to give you your gift!"

She brightened up considerably then, sparkling, just like he knew she would (because he knew her very well, indeed). Sticking out her little arms and holding open her tiny palms, she looked up at him, and with as much innocence as she could muster (which wasn't a lot, considering she was Lily), she uttered a word he would never be able to deny her.

"Give"

He chuckled a very Teddy chuckle, and turned his hair her favorite shade of green before reaching into his trunk and extracting a stuffed bear wearing a green bow tie.

"He's cute!" she squealed, like only a two year old could. She grabbed the bear and pressed it tight against her, her young heart very happy.

"Now I'll always be with you, right? Even when I'm gone, you've got a teddy."

She nodded, her flaming hair bouncing, blinking her eyes slowly. Her mother appeared from behind her, placing a hand on her daughter's slim shoulder.

"Teddy, the train will be leaving any minute. Don't want to miss it," she informed the teenage boy.

He nodded and gave lily one last hug before running off onto the train. Ginny watched as her lively daughter bounced off in the opposite direction, clutching her teddy bear, whispering into his furry ear.

She would never understand her daughter's fixation with the toy, nor with the boy. But then again, who was she to judge?

She was six and he was seventeen.

The Burrow was bustling with people, virtually every room threatening to over fill and burst open at the seams. Teddy sat in the midst of the throng, his hair a myriad of colors. Lately he had been trying to distinguish himself from the rest of the Weasley clan; he was having a slight case of an identity crisis.

CONGRATULATIONS TEDDY!

That's what the banner above his head read, enchanted to change colors every now and then (just like his bipolar hair). Graduation, how he had waited for (and dreaded) this moment. Life was right ahead of him, and frankly, it scared poor Teddy shitless.

So here he sat, alone in a room full of people (how awfully cliche).

Lily popped up right then, like she usually did when his hair turned a deep blue (she knew it was because he was sad).

"I thought your gradculation was supposed to be fun," she wondered out loud. He found her mispronunciation quite endearing, (as he did most things about her).

"I am having fun, silly."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. (What! She was bloody six! Since when did she roll her eyes?).

"Your hair's blue," she pointed out, her voice taking on that tone she got when she knew she was right.

"Ah, so it is."

He fingered his blue locks and tried to change them (for her sake at least), but his heart wasn't in it. What a funk he was in, it made absolutely no sense to him and every bit of sense to observant six year old Lily.

"Mummy says growing up is hard," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders. She was so slight, he realized. He was thoroughly surprised that a gust of wind hadn't plowed her over yet.

"Your mummy says a lot of things."

"Its okay, Teddy. You'll feel better soon." she said this with such conviction; he (almost) believed it.

"Thanks, Lily."

She smiled and trotted off, something else catching her attention. She was always doing that, running off to the next thing, the next person, and the next toy. Next next next. While he wished he could press pause.

"Teddy!"

He snapped up at the sound of his name, coming from that voice. It was Victoire, sweet sweet Victoire. She was standing off to the side of the party, clad in a soft pink dress. He changed his hair to match. She was so pretty...

"Come here Teddy!"

And so he did. They talked for a while, Victoire blushing at all the right times, and Teddy laughing at all the right times, and both making eye contact at all the right times. However, Teddy seemed distracted by the antics of a certain Potter across the room. She was demonstrating how her daddy had taught her how to ride a child size broom, her tinkling laugh echoing off the walls, her sweet face holding everyone enthralled.

Victoire would never understand why Teddy spent so much time looking after Lily, nor why everyone was so captivated by her. But then again, jealousy never does really understand.

She is eleven and he is twenty two.

"Bye mum, dad. And before you say anything, I promise to write, and to be good, eat all my vegetables and wear clean underwear everyday."

Everyone laughed at Lily's little speech. She loved getting a rise out of people, she loved attention, and adoration, but most of all she loved love.

"Anyways, I'm gonna miss the train, doing want to be late for my first year!"

And after several (tearful on Ginny's part) goodbyes, Lily gallivanted off in the direction of the train with confidence unheard of from a first year.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see her Teddy standing there.

"You didn't think you were going to get away so easily, did you?"

She shook her head with mock seriousness, and then dissolved into a fit of giggles (she was always giggling). Teddy hugged his Lily, smoothing down her wild, wayward hair.

"Lily, promise you'll behave. Merlin knows what havoc you'll cause. I won't keep you long, Victoires waiting back at the flat..."

She pursed her red lips at this and snorted. Victoire, she thought, was a very stupid name. That's all she'd been hearing about lately. And it bothered her to her very core. Bothered her a lot.

She didn't get along with girls, too much to handle. She tended to stay away from females (save for her mother and some of her cousins) and her father wasn't too pleased about this revelation.

"Right, wouldn't want to keep her waiting!"

Teddy sensed the acid in her voice, but decided to let it go. After all, he could hardly justify fighting with eleven year old Lily (especially because he would lose).

"See you at Christmas, Lily!"

She smiled a plastic smile and huffed, walking away from Teddy Lupin. Behind her back, he turned his hair her favorite shade of green.

Teddy would never understand why Lily was upset, nor why he cared so much. But then again, Teddy was never good at taking hints.

She was fourteen and he was twenty five.

She stood in the entry way to his flat, tears in her green green eyes, t-shirt a bit too small, and shorts a bit too short.

"Can I come in?"

She asked him quietly, and when did he ever refuse Lily? He hurried her inside, thankful that Victoire was on a business trip, and sat her down in front of his fire place.

She stared at the flames for quite some time, and he knew better then to pry for the cause of her tears. She was Lily, just as unpredictable as the flames she stared at, in control on minute, and blazing the next.

Instead, he watched her. She'd changed this summer; her legs were longer, her hair wilder, her hips slim and her figure womanly. He gulped and mentally slapped himself (hard).

When she was ready to speak, she turned to him, and crawled into his lap. He cradled her, just like he did when she was a baby, and smoothed down her unruly hair.

"He dumped me, Sam dumped me! Said he couldn't possibly date a Slytherin…"

Teddy sighed in relief. He absolutely hated her (ex) boyfriend. He was a git and a half, not nearly good enough for his Lily. But seeing the tears in her eyes mad him feel horrible, so horrible, he contemplated teaching a certain Sam a certain lesson.

"So find someone else, what's the big deal Lily?"

He had to admit, he was kind of confused. She bounced back so fast normally; resilience ran through her veins; resilience and passion and heat.

"You don't understand. He was special, Teddy."

"You say that about every boy," he reminded her. And she really did. Each summer since first year, coming home with a new love, a new heart ache, a new special boy. Each one worse then the last, and at this rate, Teddy worried she may cry herself dry by seventh year.

Lily was so emotional, taking things to heart too soon. She felt with every bone in her body, becoming attached to everyone and everything. Love like heat, hate like ice, jealousy like a tempest tossed. Everyone around her caught up in Hurricane Lily, everyone around her watching with interest as she stormed through life; head first, because she was Lily.

"Teddy, I just want to forget. I hate who I am! I hate myself!"

And this shocked him. Threw him backwards, sent him flying, burned his skin. Lily hated herself?

Lily?

Lily..

Lily.

Lily consumed him.

"I hate it; you must see it, Teddy. All I am is Harry Potter's daughter. The Gryfindor sell out because I got placed in bloody Slytherin! The resident Drama fucking Queen! Destruction and broken hearts and tears and hate every where I walk, and I'm only in fourth year!"

She cried again, big fat tears sliding down her perfect cheeks, and Teddy's heart broke for his beautiful flower. He hugged her fiercely and rocked her slowly, humming quietly, kind of off key (but she didn't care).

"You're not just Harry Potter's daughter. You're Slytherin Qudditch captain, star Chaser. You're talented in Potions, Transfiguration and Charms. You have a way with words, Lily Luna Potter. And every single on of us loves you for who you are. A thousand girls can walk through Hogwarts' doors, and none of them would shine as bright as you."

He pushed her fiery hair off her porcelin face, and watched as her tears stopped running down her face. He watched her smile a little. He watched her breath. And he realized he would probably never stop watching her.

"Thanks, Teddy."

"Any guy would be lucky to have you," he finished quietly, his stomach turning a little.

She blinked up at him and batted her thick lashes over her green eyes, killing him ever so slowly.

"Even you?"

She asked this innocently (which really counted for nothing).

After a (short, very short) moment's hesitation, he answered. "Yes, Lily. Even me…"

Laughter bubbled from her cupid shot mouth. "You're a horrible liar, Teddy Lupin. But thanks for trying."

She fell asleep in his arms that night, and he didn't have the heart to move her out of them. At least, that's with Teddy kept telling himself, because really he didn't stand a chance.

Lily would never understand why Teddy lied that night, nor would she ever find out he was telling the truth (until much later, of course). But then again, the truth always makes everything else seem like a lie.

She was fifteen and he was twenty six.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! I thought we were best friends!"

The whole room stood at a stand still as Lily raged and raged and raged. Every single person turned their eyes to the screaming girl seated somewhere among the many Weasleys and Potters present.

"We are best friends, Lily. I wanted it to be a surprise…"

The whole room now watched as Teddy placed his champagne glass down on the table, as he tried to reason with unreasonable Lily. He slipped his hand out of Victoire's grasp, and attempted to walk over to Lily. Victoire stopped him.

"Don't Teddy, she'll get over it. Leave her, it's our night."

Lily hated the way she said our, like Teddy was hersto own. He wasn't! He wasn't Victoire's; he wasn't any ones, any ones but hers! Lily's hair crackled with energy, plates rattling on the table, pictures shaking in their frames.

"That is enough, Lily," hissed Ginny from her spot beside her daughter. She touched Lily's shoulder, trying to force her daughter to sit. On contact, Lily's skin shocked her, electricity burning Ginny's fingers.

"Lily, please…"

Teddy begged. He begged for Lily to look at him. He begged for her to just glance at him. He begged.

"Teddy, I said stop. We're engaged; this was supposed to be a happy night and now she had to go and ruin it. Selfish. Selfish from the start!" Victoire smirked, perched on the arm of Teddy Lupin. How Lily would have just loved to knock her right off her perch...

But Lily preferred a more dramatic approach. She stormed out of the Burrow, leaving a flurry of activity in her wake. Three things happened simultaneously; the door slammed shut, Victoire's champagne glass shattered in her hand, and Teddy's hair turned a funny shade of green.

No one present would ever understand why there was so much tension in the room, nor why Teddy looked so stricken. But then again, no one ever noticed the very obvious feelings at hand.

LATER THAT NIGHT.

Lily sat at the edge of the garden, sunflowers surrounded her on every side, the yellow making her sick (and calm all at once). She sat there, with her head heavy in her hands, her flaming hair strewn across her back, her mind working over time.

She could feel something in her chest, something breaking and thudding and crashing and crying. This was different, then every other petty broken heart. This was sadness and pain and a hollow, empty feeling.

She could also feel him behind her, looming closer and closer with every step. He stood behind her, breath heavy, and he placed both hands on her lithe shoulders. She held her sobs in, but they threatened to burst any second.

"I'm sorry."

He spoke and she broke. Tears streaming down her cheeks, and here she was again, a sobbing mess, sad and angry at the cruel world.

"No, you're not. You made a choice, and I have to accept it. Anyways, it's not a big deal if you didn't tell me, not like I mattered…"

He spun her around and grasped her shoulders, looking into her blazing eyes. Oddly, for the first time, he realized the shade of green that he would often change his hair to, was the exact color of her eyes.

"Don't you ever say that! Of course you matter to me, you're my best friend, you silly girl."

Lily smiled a heart wrenching smile. "Just your friend. I get it."

Something click-click-clicked in Teddy's head. She loved him. And not just loved him, but love loved him. He shut his eyes and held his breath and reached for her cheek and said:

"Lily, you can't feel this way."

And those six little words slapped Lily in the face, She felt foolish and tiny and stupid and young (the very things she hated about herself most).

"Teddy, never mind. Just go back to Victoire."

"For fucks sakes, Lily, don't you dare do this to me! You're bloody fifteen. What would your father do to me if he knew that I was in love with his teenage daughter?"

Lily brightened. "You're in love with me?"

"Lily, stop…" he whispered into nothing.

She kissed him. Very lightly on the lips. A butterfly, a ray of sunshine, a drop of water. Life poured through him. And then, in a very Lily fashion, she was gone. Running through the sunflower field at full speed (because if you loved something, you let it go, right?)

Now it was Teddy's turn to let out a strangled cry.

Teddy would never understand why he cried that night as he lay in bed, nor why all he could see in his mind was Lily running away from him. But then again, Teddy would never admit the truth to himself.

She was sixteen and he was twenty seven.

She brought a date to their wedding. A handsome boy with white blood hair and an easy grin. Scorpius Malfoy turned to kiss Lily's cheek, and she giggled girlishly. Hate boiled his blood, hate towards the boy who had taken Lily away from him.

Reason whispered that he should blame his own self for that, but Teddy was never good at listening to reason.

He walked down the aisle that day, walked towards his future with Victoire (and away from his possible future with Lily). He danced with Victoire that day (and watched Lily dance in the arms of Scorpius). He went home with Victoire that day (and said goodbye as Lily left). He made love to Victoire that night (and hated every second of it).

Teddy would never understand his feelings. He just wouldn't.

She was eighteen and he was twenty nine.

"Lily!"

She turned at the sound of her name. Standing behind her was none other than the elusive Teddy Lupin.

"Oh, hello."

Lily never forgot.

"I just wanted to come and say hi, and that I'm back from France. For good…"

He stumbled over his words, and Lily smiled a tiny bit. She hadn't seen him in two years. But he was as handsome as ever. Fit and beautiful and chiseled and green green hair. She missed him.

"What do you mean for good?"

The next words he spoke shook her world. Turned it upside down, and then took it for a loop.

"I mean that I'm not with Victoire anymore. So, I'm back."

Lily stared heatedly at Teddy. Then;

"Well, how lovely for you."

She walked away from him, never once looking back, and waiting until she was safe in the confines of her home to release her pent up tears. Two years worth of sobs breaking forth from her chest in loud, wailing cries.

The whole house could hear Lily crumbling in on herself, but they knew it was best to just leave her be, because, well, because she was Lily.

Harry would never understand what made him go and find Teddy that day. But then again, Harry had always been rather brash.

LATER THAT DAY.

"Honey, please come down. There's someone here to see you."

Harry's voice carried into Lily's room, echoing off the red walls. She slumped out of her room, and down the stairs, freezing when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Leave me the hell alone, Teddy Lupin!"

She yelled and yelled and yelled. And he let her race down the stairs. He let her hit him with her tiny fists. He let her collapse into his waiting arms. With a grateful glance at Harry, he apporated them both out of the house.

They landed in a field of flowers – sunflowers to be specific.

"Is this some cruel joke?" she asked him, disgust dripping of her honeyed voice.

She remembered that night, two years ago, when she had foolishly kissed him in the sunflower field at the Burrow (the thought of the kiss made her shiver).

"Lily, listen to me. You don't understand how much I've missed you."

"I don't believe a word you say! You haven't spoken to me in two years, every single thing coming down to nothing. Silence, it was so bloody loud!" she threw accusations left and right, and he sat and listened because he deserved every single one of them. And when she was done, she folded in on herself and sat on the floor.

"You know, the flowers remind me of you. Every time I saw them in France your face would pop into my head."

She shook her head. Over and over again, her hair flipped from side to side, until her crouched down to her level and placed his calloused hands on either side of her soft face.

"Lily, when I left all I could think of was you. Every time I left the house something, somewhere would remind me of you. When Victoire walked into the room I wished it was you. When she spoke I heard your voice. When we made love…it was always you."

"Teddy…"

"Fuck, when Harry came to find me I thought it was to skin me alive, because I had hurt his baby girl. But I swear on my life, anything you were feeling, I was feeling ten times worse. When he told me to find you, I couldn't get up fast enough. It's always been you. All those years ago when I told you I'd be lucky to have you I was telling the truth. I know this is so wrong, you're eleven fucking years too young and I just-"

She cut his rant off with a kiss. A kiss that seared him. Her lips burned and smoldered and her hands gripped his shirt until it was bunched in her hands. He responded with so much enthusiasm, he knocked them both back until he lay onto of her. Kissing her was like fire. So bright and consuming and hot. Oh fuck, she was going to be the death of him.

His shirt flew off, along with her pants and she cried out his name until she could speak no more. She made him dizzy, spinning his world around until all he saw were stars and sunflowers.

Lily, Lily, Lily…

"Lily, Lily, Lily…"

"I love you, Teddy."

She spoke the words that freed his soul and made his life whole.

"I love you, Lily."

And he spoke the words that made her laugh and cry and finally- finally breath.

Nothing in the world would ever understand what Lily and Teddy felt for each other. But then again, love is unexplainable.

Love is fire, and oh how it burned.

oh my. there we go :) another lily teddy one shot!
thanks to all those who reviewed my last one! YOURE ALL AMAZING :)