On This Wild Night

XII. Artemis

"You know, after that I think I might be pregnant."

At the sound of Charlie's comment, Artemis lifted her head from his chest and stared at him. She was going to say something sarcastic, but at the sight of his boyish grin, she laughed instead. She lowered her head back down and felt his hands running through her hair. Placing her hand on his torso in front of her, she started to let her fingers dance over his skin, tracing patterns in his map of freckles like constellations. There was still one small doubt at the back of her mind.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you say that I'm a part of your family?"

Charlie's chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath.

"I would, yeah," he said, quietly. Artemis' eyebrows stopped knitting together. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. Just something your mum said earlier, when she was trying to marry us off."

"What was that?"

"It's nothing really. Just that if we got married I'd be a real member of your family, that's all."

Charlie shifted his position so that he was propped up on his elbow, and Artemis moved off his chest.

"She said that to you?"

"It's fine, Charlie."

"No, it's not." Charlie shook his head, and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "That's not okay, Artie. I'll talk to her."

Artemis blinked at him.

"What?" he said, and he raised his eyebrows at her. "I can do that now."

"Do you want me to make you a certificate?"

"Very funny."

"I mean, if you really want to talk to her about it, you can. You can do it when we go back to help take down the marquee tomorrow."

"See, the thing is, I was thinking that maybe we don't need to help. I mean, how many people does it take to put down a marquee, really? Maybe we just shouldn't go." At the look on Artemis' face, Charlie grinned sheepishly. "I'm only joking. If you want me to mention it to her I will. Promise."

"Nah, don't worry. I actually spoke to your dad, and he said marriage was just a signature on a bit of paper and didn't matter."

"Definitely won't be mentioning that to Mum."

"Best not," said Artemis, and she shuffled so that she and Charlie were lying face to face. "I just wanted to see what you thought, that's all."

"Right. Well, I'm with Dad on this one. You're definitely my family."

"I know that. I was thinking more about your actual family."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I always thought that I was kind of one of you, like I belonged. But after your dad's speech about loving us because we love you, and especially when your mum said that, it made me think that maybe the only reason they think I fit in is because you do. That they love me for you, and not for myself, if you see what I mean."

"I do see what you mean, but that's not how it is at all. I don't come into the equation. They love you. Just you. How could they not?"

Artemis didn't say anything. She rolled over to look up at the ceiling, where through the skylight she could see the moon but not the stars. She felt the mattress move, and knew that Charlie had done the same.

"Would you ever want to do all that?" he said, speaking into the darkness. "Get married and have babies and everything?"

Artemis frowned. She didn't really like babies. As much as she loved Victoire and Dominique for the simple reason that they were Bill's children and her goddaughters, she wouldn't want to have to be the one with them strapped to her all day, every day. Not to mention that she still struggled to even look at little Teddy Lupin, the way her own mother had struggled to look at her. If that was any indication of what she'd be like as a parent, she was better off not being one.