Meant to Be

Chapter Eighteen



‘Remus, are you sure it’s not too early for meeting the friends?’ Jess asked the next morning.

She’d met him at his place and they were preparing to apparate to The Burrow to pick up Teddy.

‘Jess, they’ll love you,’ he assured her, but she frowned.

‘They were all Tonks’ friends, Remus,’ she said quietly, feeling more insecure than she had in years. ‘Are they going to be alright seeing you with someone else?’

He stopped buttoning his robes and put his hands on the side of her head, lifting her face to his. ‘Sweetheart, they want me to be happy,’ he said softly. ‘You make me happy. How could they not love you?’

Jess took a deep breath and nodded, her hands moving to finish buttoning his robes for him. He smiled reassuringly at her then took her hand as they walked outside and apparated.



They reappeared outside The Burrow, Jess squeezing his hand as he led her into the strangely lopsided house.

‘Hi Remus!’ said a red haired girl, smiling at him. ‘Teddy, Daddy’s here! Oh, hi!’

She noticed Jess and Remus quickly introduced her to Ginny.

‘DaDa!’ Teddy called, grinning when he saw his father.

Molly appeared behind him, smiling at the couple. As Teddy came down the hall, he noticed Jess and his face lit up.

‘Esss!’ he said, changing course to hug Jess’ legs, much to Ginny and Molly’s surprise.



‘Hi, Teddy,’ she said, crouching down to hug the toddler, who wrapped his arms around her neck and gave her another wet kiss.

‘And with one kiss, I am knocked off top spot,’ Remus said wryly, thrilled that Teddy seemed to have decided that Jess was the one for him.

Jess smiled up at him, picking Teddy up and holding him out to Remus, who Teddy deigned to kiss and cuddle before focusing his attention back onto the woman who held him.



‘My goodness,’ said Molly, coming down the hall with a quizzical look on her face. ‘I’ve never seen him like that with anyone except you, Remus.’

Remus smiled and put his arm around Jess. ‘Molly, this is Jess Mather,’ he said. ‘Jess, Molly Weasley.’

Jess extracted her arm and the two women shook hands then Molly led them into the living room, fussing about with tea for several minutes. She then spent the next half an hour quizzing Jess, who handled the interrogation with grace and humour.

Remus sat back, watching Jess bouncing Teddy on her knee, the small boy refusing to be distracted from his exploration of Jess’ hair and face, or his attempts to undo her buttons again. He was amazed by her patience - gently redirecting Teddy’s hands when she needed to without the little boy realising he was being thwarted. Molly, too, noticed Jess’ seemingly never ending tolerance.



‘Have you had a lot of experience with children, Jess?’ she asked, and Jess shook her head with a laugh.

‘Actually, I’d never even held a child until I met Teddy,’ she admitted, tickling him on his belly. ‘I’m still not really sure what I’m supposed to do with him, but….I guess I’ll learn.’ ‘You’re doing a pretty good job so far. You must be a natural,’ Molly commented, glancing over at Remus. ‘Do you want children of your own?’

Jess looked up from Teddy, a surprised look on her face.

‘Molly,’ admonished Remus, piping up for the first time in fifteen minutes. ‘That’s a bit personal, don’t you think?’

Molly turned a little pink and looked at Jess. ‘I’m sorry, Jess,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to put you on the spot…’



‘It’s fine, Molly,’ Jess replied, sneaking a look at Remus. ‘Having children isn’t something Remus and I discussed the first time around - I was a bit too young. To be honest with you, I never thought I’d be much good with them; I’m not really the maternal type - didn‘t have a very good role model, I‘m afraid. But I’m certainly enjoying spending time with Teddy; if I could guarantee a baby as lovely as him, I could be convinced.’

She tickled Teddy again, and he laughed, throwing his head back dramatically. Everyone laughed at him and Jess glanced at Remus again, who smiled and nodded at her. He glanced at Molly, seeing the approving look on her face and he knew Jess had won her over.

‘Well, we’ve got some stuff to do, so I think it’s time to get going,’ he said, standing up and hugging Molly. ‘Thanks, Molly.’

They said their goodbyes and Jess peeled Teddy off her, handing him to Remus for apparition, still not confident enough to try it with the child.



They apparated back to Remus’ house and spent the day together. Remus put Teddy down for a nap after lunch, and he and Jess spent an hour pushing the line they’d decided on to it’s limits. They had both been pleased to discover that they were as responsive as ever to each other and that they didn’t need to go under their clothes to make each other very happy.

Remus fetched Teddy after his nap, the child delighted to find Jess still at the house, climbing onto the couch to jump on her, similar to how his father had an hour earlier. They all said a reluctant good bye after dinner, Remus murmuring that perhaps they should review that timeline.

‘He adores you, Jess,’ he said softly. ‘So do I.’

‘I’m a new playmate right now, Remus,’ she said. ‘Let’s see how we go once the novelty has worn off.’



But it didn’t seem as if the shine would wear off anytime soon. Three weeks later, the line was still in place; Teddy still preferred Jess over everyone else and Remus was trying to find the right time to ask Jess to move in with them.

‘Looks like the Lupin boys have a serious thing for you,’ Martha said late on a Friday afternoon after Teddy and Remus had come into her office for lunch earlier, Teddy leaving a painting he‘d done for her. Jess smiled at the woman and looked down at her paperwork.

‘It’s nice to see you happy, Jessica,’ she said. ‘It’s also nice to see you out of the office on time at night. You were setting unrealistic goals for the rest of us mere mortals.’

Jess laughed and Remus poked his head around the door.

‘Jess, could I see you for a minute?’ he asked and Martha left, smiling at him. He approached her desk and sat on the chair opposite her desk.



‘I have a problem and I was really hoping you could help me out,’ he said.

Jess frowned and looked at him. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

‘I have to go and visit a client but he can only see me just before work finishes. I haven’t seen him yet and he sounds a bit stressed so I’ll probably be a while and I won’t be able to collect Teddy from the nursery.’

‘Do you want me to go instead?’ she asked but he shook his head.

‘Um, actually I was hoping you would be able to pick up Teddy for me and take him to my place,’ he said.



‘Oh,’ she said, surprised. She was pleased he trusted her with the thing that meant the most to him, but she didn’t know how to care for a child by herself.

‘I shouldn’t be too late,’ he continued, seeing her uncertainty. ‘And you know the night time routine. Please, Jess?’

‘Of course I will,’ she said with a smile, still not sure she was capable of looking after his child by herself.

Remus beamed and he stood up. ‘Thanks, honey,’ he said, coming around the desk to kiss her. ‘I’d better go or I’ll be late. I’ll see you at home later. Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.’

She nodded and he kissed her again and disappeared.



Jess let out a breath and checked the time, realising how late it was. She bit her lip, then stood up, walking up to the nursery.

Teddy came running when he saw her, calling, ‘Dess!’ His hair changed when he saw her to a light blue, not as bright as usual.

She gave him a cuddle and said, ‘It’s just you and me for a while, honey. Is that alright?’ He kissed her nose and she took that as a yes. They Flooed to Remus’ house, Jess grateful he’d made her Floo with Teddy a few times previously. She relaxed a little more when they got inside, but Teddy was fussy, not wanting to eat much dinner and he was grizzly, his hair now a grey colour.



‘I think we’ll give up on the vegetables,’ she said after he refused them again. When she picked him up, she noticed his skin was hot.

‘God, you’re burning up,’ she said, pressing her hand to his head. She took him into the bathroom and put him in a lukewarm bath, washing him with a washcloth until he felt cooler. Dressing him in a nappy and pyjamas, she gave him a drink of water in his bottle instead of milk. He still felt warmer than he should be, and a minute later, his hair turned a sickly shade of green and he threw up.

‘God, Teddy,’ she said, panicking now as she Vanished the puddle of sick. ‘Why did you pick tonight?’

She cleaned him up and thought for a second. She shook her head and scrawled a quick note for Remus, then Flooed to St Mungo’s Hospital. She didn’t have a clue how to look after an ill child and wanted to be around people that did.



Remus raced into the children’s wing, having got back later than he thought from his visit and finding the house empty. He could smell vomit and when he saw Jess’ note, he panicked.

‘I’m looking for Teddy Lupin,’ he said to the med wizard, who smiled at him.

‘You’re his dad?’ he asked and Remus nodded. ‘Your wife said you’d be here soon,’ he said calmly. ‘Teddy is alright. He’s got a stomach bug, and a temperature. He was a little dehydrated and we’ll keep him overnight just to watch him because he‘s so young, but he’ll be fine.’

He led Remus down the hall as he spoke. ‘I think your wife might be in worse shape than Teddy. She hasn’t left his side for a second. Is it his first illness?’ Remus nodded, not bothering to correct the man when he called Jess his wife, and they stopped outside a room.

‘She did well then. She got the temperature down with a bath, started giving him fluids and bought him in early.‘ He indicated the interior of the room. ‘You can stay the night as well if you like and take him home in the morning.’



Remus thanked him, his anxiety disappearing now as walked into the room, stopping before he reached Teddy’s bed. He smiled, seeing Jess curled up around his son on the bed. A sleeping Teddy had hold of her finger and Jess was stroking his hair. He moved closer and Jess saw him, her eyes widening. She sat up slowly, trying not to disturb Teddy, and slid off the bed. Remus sat on the edge of the bed, touching Teddy’s head. He felt cool now. He looked up at Jess, surprised to see she had stopped at the foot of the bed.

‘I’m so sorry, Remus,’ she said softly and he stood up.

‘Jess, this isn’t your fault,’ he said quickly, approaching her. ‘He’s a child. He’s going to get sick.’

She still looked pale and worried and he put his arms around her, feeling how tense she was.

‘Sweetheart, you did more than I would have thought to do. The healer said he would have been sicker if you hadn’t gotten his temperature down.’



‘I was so scared,’ she whispered into his chest. ‘I kept thinking what if something was seriously wrong with him…’

‘He’s fine, Jess,’ he said, lowering his head to hers, kissing the side of her face and realising she was crying.

‘Jess?’ he said, lifting her face so he could see her.

‘I couldn’t stand it if something happened to him,’ she said, trembling now. ‘I just love him so much but I can’t look after him, Remus. What if I do something wrong and hurt him? I don’t know anything about kids…’



Remus kissed her hard, stopping her words. ‘It’s just a bug, honey’ he said. ‘You did everything right.’

She wiped at her face and looked over at Teddy, moved closer and taking his tiny hand in hers. Remus smiled at her.

‘You can get back in with him if you like,’ he said into her ear, kissing her head.

She nodded and crawled in with him again, pulling him closer. Remus moved around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, putting his arms around both of them. Jess gave him a small smile over Teddy’s head and he smiled back, stroking a hand over her head.



They took a slighter quieter Teddy home the next morning, Jess barely moving from his side. Teddy had no objection to this, cuddling up into her as they read books and sitting close to her as they sat on the floor drawing together.

’Da!’ said Teddy, throwing down a picture in front of Remus, who was watching them from the couch instead of writing up notes about his meeting the night before.

’Thanks, Ted,’ he said, looking at the scribble on the paper. The little boy grinned and did another scribble and put it in front of Jess, who was absently doodling.

’Dess!’ he said, wriggling his way onto her lap. She smiled and hugged him to her, talking to him about the colours he’d used on the paper. Remus smiled softly and felt emotion build up in his chest as he watched them. Today was the day he’d been waiting for.



He waited until she put Teddy to bed after lunch, then as she walked past the couch, Remus pulled her down on top of him.

‘Move in with us,’ he said, wrapping his arms around her. Jess smiled at him, surprised as she propped herself up on his chest.

‘Is that part of taking it slow?’ she asked and he shook his head.

‘Jess,’ he said, his expression serious. ‘We were taking it slow mostly for Teddy - to give him time to get used to you and for you to get used to him. I saw you last night, honey. You couldn’t love him more if he was your own. And I want him to be yours; ours. Move in with us today. Marry me tomorrow. Adopt Teddy the day after.’



‘Are you serious?’ she asked, overwhelmed by his suggestion.

‘Very,’ he said, his hands sliding down to her ass. Jess smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

‘And you don’t want me here just so you can get your hands on me? I’d have to share your bed, you know,’ she said, lips against his.

Remus laughed and pulled her closer, pressing her groin to his. ‘I love you, Jess. I want you here with me and Teddy. And yes, I want you back in my bed. I’ve been dreaming about you being back in my bed..’

He kissed her again, hands moving over her ass. ‘Last night, I dreamed about you just like this, except you were naked,’ he whispered against her cheek as his mouth moved. ‘And I was inside you. And you were doing that thing you do with your muscles so you were fucking me without even moving.’



Jess moaned, closing her eyes as his voice washed over her. His hands moved to her upper thighs and pulled her legs down either side of him, so she was closer, rubbing against him.

‘I’ve been dreaming about your mouth on me. I want to taste you again so badly. I want to feel your skin on mine, Jess. But most of all, I want to go to sleep with you and wake up with you and reach out in the middle of the night to hold you. Please come home.’

Jess opened her eyes, her breath coming faster. ‘Alright,’ she whispered.



Remus opened his eyes as well, staring at her. ‘Really?’ he asked. ‘Just like that?’

She smiled and said, ‘You put forward a very persuasive argument. How could I say no? But…I do have one request.’

‘Anything,’ he said and she frowned.

‘Consider moving you and Teddy into my place instead?’ she said and he looked startled. ‘I don’t want to disrupt Teddy and if you think moving will upset him, then forget I said anything, but…’ She sighed and closed her eyes, putting her forehead on his chest.

‘I’m being a sook, Remus, but…I don’t want to sleep with you in the bed where you made love to your wife; make plans with you in the same house you made your plans with her.’

‘Oh, Jess,’ he breathed and she looked up.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s just stupid for me to feel like this…’

‘No,’ he interrupted. ‘No. I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t even think about how living here would make you feel. I’d feel the same if you asked me to move into the house that you and your ex-husband shared.’



They stared at each other for a moment then Remus smiled. ‘We’ll move to your place,’ he said firmly. ‘Teddy will be fine. He’ll still have all his familiar things and he’ll have us. Your place is bigger and much nicer than this one too, and closer to work.’

‘Are you positive?’ she said and he nodded.

‘I’ll start packing this afternoon,’ he said, holding her tighter. ‘Ted and I will move in tomorrow.’

‘You don’t have to move in that quickly…’ she began, but he interrupted with a laugh. ‘Jess, I am so damn horny I’m not going to be able to go out in public soon,’ he told her. ‘I’d move in tonight if Teddy didn’t have so much stuff.’



Jess laughed and he reached up to hold her face. ‘That’s the moving in part sorted out,’ he said. ‘Stay here a moment.’

He got up and moved to his bedroom, returning after a minute.

‘Sit up, Jess,’ he said softly, and she did. He knelt in front of her on one knee and held out a diamond ring. Her mouth fell open and she looked up at him in shock.

‘I didn’t ask properly the first time, although it was fun,’ he said with a smile. ‘But this time, I’m going to do it right. I love you, Jess. I’ve loved you from the first night we met and I want you to be my wife and Teddy’s mum. Will you marry me, Jess?’

She smiled broadly. ‘Yes,’ she said immediately. ‘I would love to marry you.’

He grinned and said, ‘Thank God,’ then slid the ring onto her finger.

Jess made a small noise when she saw it was the same ring he gave her all those years ago. ‘You didn’t give this to Tonks?’ she asked and he shook his head.

‘No,’ he said. ‘That’s your ring. I would never have given it to anyone else. I was waiting to be able to give it back to you.’