Lonni

[ WHEN SIRIUS BOUGHT YOU YOUR FIRST BROOM ]

"Baby, can you come here for a moment?"

You walked out of your room and down the stairs, heading into the living room, where you found your parents sitting on the couch next to each other.

"Am i in trouble?" you asked them shyly.

Remus gave you a smile and reached out to take your hand, sweetly stroking it.

"Of course not darling. We called you to show you something"

"Oh..." you relaxed. "What is it?"

Sirius leaned back to grab something that was hidden behind the couch and you looked at him curiously.

"I got you a gift, sweetheart~" he said and then turned back to you.

When you saw what he was holding in his ringed hands your eyes widened and you couldn't hold back a little excited squeal. You started bouncing on the spot and your parents giggled at your enthusiasm.

"For me??" you asked excitedly, frantically glancing from the broomstick to Sirius' gray eyes. "Is it all mine??"

"All yours, baby" Sirius nodded. "So we can finally play Quidditch together"

Sirius handed you the broom and you took it in your hands, admiring the shiny wood. Then you leaned forward to hug your father, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck and giving him a loud kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you so much daddy, i love you so much!"

Sirius hugged you back and placed a kiss on your head, rubbing your back. "You're welcome, puppy. But hey, you have to say thank you to Dad too, because we decided together to buy your broom"

You quickly hugged Remus too, giving him the same kiss you gave Sirius and thanking him too. "Thank you so much dad"

"You're welcome, my love. And please..." Remus said, pulling away from you to look into your eyes. "Treat this broom well because it didn't cost Daddy cheap, okay?"

"Of course! I solemnly swear i'll treat it as best as i can!" you nodded frantically. "I can't wait to show it to Harry!"

"I'm sure he and Uncle James will be super jealous of your broom" Sirius chuckled, then stood up with his hands on his knees. "Now how about we go out and try for a fly?"

And you run outside without even waiting for him, while Sirius followed you looking at you tenderly. There was no greater satisfaction for a father than giving a gift to his daughter and making her so happy.

[ WHEN YOU AND REMUS READ TOGETHER, HIM SAT ON YOUR BED WITH HIS LEGS CROSSED AND YOU BETWEEN HIS THIGHS, WITH YOUR BACK RESTING ON HIS FRONT ]

"How do you read this word?" you asked, pointing with a finger on the page to a word that seemed very long to you.

"Stepsisters, darling" he replied. "It means they're not Cinderella's real sisters"

"Why?"

"Because Cinderella's father married another woman who already had two daughters. Because his wife, Cinderella's mother, was no longer here"

You nodded silently, sad that Cinderella's mother was gone. Remus smiled and went back to reading the story. "Cinderella's stepsisters were very vain-"

"Dad, what does vain mean?"

Remus froze again when he saw you tilt your head back against his chest so you could look him in the eyes and he smiled at you.

The best part of reading with you was teaching you the meaning of new words. You were at that age where you had to depend on him and Sirius and when you needed something you always ran to them. It was something that would always make him proud in his heart.

"A vain person is a person who wants to show off to be admired by others"

"Ohhh" you mumbled, happy to have learned a new word. "Like Dad and Uncle James?"

Remus burst out laughing, taken aback by your words and you looked at him in confusion.

"It's true sweetheart, Dad and Uncle James are a bit vain" he said, at the end of his laugh. "But don't tell them, okay?"

"Okay"

You went back to calmly looking at the pages of the open book that Remus held in his hands while he continued to read that famous Muggle fairy tale to you.

[ WHEN YOU COLORED SIRIUS' TATTOOS ]

"Hold still Daddy!"

"Sorry puppy" Sirius chuckled. "You're tickling me"

You ignored him, continuing to color one of the many tattoos that decorated his chest as you sat on his stomach.

"You know Dad will never let me get into bed all colored like this, right?" Sirius then asked teasingly. "I'll tell him it's your fault"

But you just shrugged, stopping your work to look at him with an innocent smile. "You can sleep with me in my bed if he doesn't want you. I don't mind"

Sirius smiled back and, holding himself up on his elbows, leaned forward to give you a kiss on the forehead.

"Aw thanks my love, i appreciate the offer but if i stain your bed Dad would definitely kill me, you know him"

You pouted a little and lowered your head to start coloring his tattoo again.

"You have so many tattoos..." you noted, not taking your eyes off his skin. "Does Dad have them too?"

"He has some, but not as many as me"

"Do you think he'll let me color his tattoos?" you looked at him for a few seconds with hopeful eyes and Sirius chuckled.

"He rarely lets me color them, but if you ask him i'm sure he won't mind, trust me"

"I can't wait to ask him!" you blurted excitedly. "Daddy can you lie on your stomach now so i can color the tattoos on your back too?"

And Sirius obeyed without protest.

[ WHEN REMUS COMBED AND STYLED YOUR HAIR ]

"Dad! Dad! Dad!"

Both Remus and Sirius shifted their gazes from each other to you, who excitedly entered the kitchen running to the former and take his hand in yours.

"What is it my darling girl?" he asked you without hesitation.

"Can you braid my hair please??" you pleaded in turn, looking at him with your big bright eyes, while your small hands unconsciously played with his long tapered fingers. "I want to have braids before Harry comes to play!"

"Aw, do you want to make yourself pretty for Harry, my love?" Sirius interjected this time with a smirk.

You chuckled and shook your head. "Nooo Daddy. It's much more convenient to have braids when we play, so my hair doesn't bother me" you answered in a tone that seemed to say "Wasn't it obvious?".

Remus stroked your fingers with his thumb.

"Are you sure you don't want Daddy to braid your hair?" he asked and you shook your head again without hesitation.

"I like it better when you do it for me. You're better than Daddy at braiding, almost like Aunt Lily and Aunt Dorcas"

Sirius slumped back against the back of his chair, clutching his chest with a mock grimace of pain. "Agh! You're breaking my heart over here baby! It's not fair!"

You and Remus both laughed then he stood up, starting to walk towards your bedroom and you let go of his hand to get ahead of him. When he entered your room he saw you already sitting in the middle of your bed with your colored comb in your hand, waiting impatiently for him.

Your father climbed onto the bed to sit behind you and after you handed him the comb, you didn't waste time moving back to sit between his crossed legs. And once you were comfortable he began to gently comb your hair.

He always did it to get out all the knots possible before braiding your hair and combing it was something that both you and him found very relaxing and above all intimate. Remus's hands were always soft and delicate when they touched your hair and he always made an effort to be able to create the hairstyle you wanted.

After he finished combing your hair, Remus took off one of the two colored hair ties he always wore on his wrist, (since he kept them for every time you asked him to tie your hair up) and tied your hair on one side of your head, so he could start making the first braid from the other.

"Dad?" you called out to him suddenly.

"Mh?"

"Can you teach me how to braid someday, please? So i can do it for Daddy too~"

Remus leaned forward to leave a kiss on the back of your head.

"Sure thing sweetheart"

[ WHEN YOU AND SIRIUS DANCED TOGETHER ]

"Are you ready?" Sirius asked you and you slowly nodded.

He held out both hands to you with a smile and when you placed your small ones in his palm, you felt his body heat wrap around your fingers.

"Remember what we learned, okay?" he asked you again.

You and he both glanced at Regulus who was sitting at the family piano and looking at you expectantly, while Remus was doing the same thing while sitting in the armchair. Sirius nodded and his brother took the cue to start playing.

The sweet, delicate melody filled the room within seconds and you quickly raised your head towards your father, waiting for him to begin. Sirius nodded with an encouraging smile and then began to move across the floor, grasping your hands and dragging you with him.

Sirius had his gaze fixed on you, but your eyes were glued to your feet, trying to move in the same rhythm as your father's. And your concentration on the music was disturbed by the constant fear of stepping on his toes (which happened practically every time the two of you tried dancing).

"It's okay puppy" Sirius murmured, not caring about your little mistakes in movements. "Just follow me"

"I-I don't want to step on you" you retorted, lifting your head to look at him awkwardly.

"You're a child, my love. I certainly don't expect you to be a perfect dancer already, otherwise we wouldn't have trained together, would we?" Sirius continued with a small chuckle and both Remus and Regulus smiled in amusement as well.

"I know, but... But..." you lowered your head back to your shoes.

Sirius let go of one of your hands to gesture to Regulus, telling him to stop playing. Both you and Sirius stopped and he crouched down on his legs so he could look into your eyes, which had become shiny.

"Baby" he cooed, reaching up to your face to stroke your cheek. "It's alright, hey..."

"I want to be as good as you" you murmured, a couple of lone tears falling from your eyes.

Sirius stuck out his bottom lip, reading the disappointment filling your large eyes.

Of course he didn't care how many times you stepped on his toes, he didn't care how long it took him to teach you how to dance and he didn't care if you were actually good at it or not. But everyone knew that you adored your parents and you worshipped the ground they walked on from the first moment you were able to. You wanted to do nothing but be like them and be the perfect daughter of your perfect family.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a pitying look and the former looked back at you.

"Okay" he said.

You sniffed and watched him smile at you.

"I have an idea. But first" he continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. "I want you to wipe away those silly tears okay?"

You nodded and closed your eyes so Sirius could run the cloth along your cheeks and under your eyes, wiping the tears from your face. Once done, he put the handkerchief back in his pocket but before you could ask him what he wanted to do, he stood up and clasped your hands in his again.

"Now i want you to put your feet on top of mine"

You looked at him confused and surprised at the same time.

"But i'll get your shoes dirty"

Your father smiled at you. "Baby, i'm rich. I can get five more pairs of these shoes, i don't care if you get them dirty. Now hop on in"

Before doing as he told you, you turned to look at your other father, who nodded at you with a smile. So, albeit with hesitation, you placed one foot after the other on Sirius', who made you come closer to him by pulling your hands.

Then Sirius turned to his brother.

"Reggie" he only said with a nod.

Regulus began playing the piano again and the music filled the room again. Sirius began to move again and as his feet slid along the floor, yours followed step for step, never once making a mistake.

Your eyes widened, lifting your head to look back at your father with a smile. "This is perfect!"

Sirius didn't say anything, he just smiled back and continued dancing, delicately, so as not to make you fall. He was sure that you would've learnt to dance like him one day and maybe even became better than him.

[ WHEN YOU COOKED WITH REMUS ]

"Why do you never let me cut the ingredients?" you asked, looking at Remus.

"Because if you cut off your fingertip then you'll have to eat it for dinner and we don't want that, do we darling?"

Remus turned his head to look at you when he heard your silence and smiled amused when he saw your wide eyes looking at him almost shocked.

"I'm just kidding, sweetheart" he chuckled, placing a hand on your head. Being around Sirius too long had taught him to use his sarcasm. "We just don't want you to get hurt. When you get older you will use the big knife like i do"

You let out a small huff, crossing your arms and muttering an "Okay" as you both headed towards the kitchen.

While your father took everything he needed from the drawers and shelves, you looked at him impatiently, looking forward to preparing food with him (another of the activities you liked to do in his company). Then he looked at you with his hands on his hips.

"Hands?"

"Washed" you dutifully replied, holding both palms out towards him.

"Apron?"

"On" and you made a little spin, showing him your personalized apron that you were wearing.

"Knives?"

"Only in Dad's hands"

Remus smiled giving you a quick kiss on the head. "My good girl. And now let's make dinner"

"Yes!"

About half an hour later, when Sirius entered the house he immediately felt a nice spicy scent invade his nostrils, accompanied by your and Remus' voices coming from the kitchen.

"Who wants to mix?"

"Me me! Please, let me do it!"

Sirius went to the kitchen and couldn't stop the smile from growing on his lips when he saw you kneeling on a chair, intent on mixing what was inside a bowl with a wooden spoon that you held in both hands, while behind you his husband whispered to you to do it gently, so as not to dirty the table.

"What good stuff are you two cooking up?" Sirius asked aloud as he stepped in.

You immediately lifted your head from your work to greet him with a wide smile.

"Hi Daddy! We're making a new sauce for tonight's pasta"

Sirius came over to lean down and give you a loud kiss on the cheek. "Looks delicious, my love" he said, lowering to look at what filled the bowl. "Do you think i can give it a taste?"

You nodded frantically.

"Of course! Here!"

You handed him the wood spoon full of sauce you were using to stir, but Remus' voice spoke up this time.

"Sweetheart"

You turned to look at him.

"Not with that one" he said as he handed you a coffee spoon.

"Oh. Sorry hehe" you giggled sheepishly, noticing his knowing look.

You took the spoon from his hands and dipped it in the sauce, then raised it towards Sirius' face to fed him.

"Mmh~ It's delicious puppy, like everything you cook for me" he said with a proud expression. "Did you make this?"

You nodded. "Yes. I mean, i helped Dad. I did a lot of things but i didn't cut anything because i didn't want any of us to eat my fingertip if i cut it off"

At those words Sirius furrowed his eyebrows with a bewildered grimace and glanced at Remus, who was chuckling.

"She's the best chef, don't you think?"

[ WHEN YOU AND PADFOOT PLAYED TOGETHER ]

Remus appeared in the doorway, hearing laughter and high-pitched squeals coming from the garden, and he smiled tenderly when he saw you chasing Padfoot around in circles, while he ran away from you, barking like crazy and wagging his bushy tail. You were both so joyful and carefree, it was such a beautiful scene.

Suddenly though, Remus saw that Sirius turned towards you and stood up on his back legs so he could come at you, before dropping you both to the ground, with him on top of you.

"Sirius!" Remus warned, making the dog raise his head and look at him in surprise. "Be more gentle!"

Padfoot's ears drooped in repentance and when Remus was about to ask if you were okay, you beat him to it.

"Daaad!" you called out to him with a wide smile, moving your hand to invite him to join you. "Come play with us??"

Remus let out a breath and smiled again, softly shaking his head. "No thank you sweetheart, i have to do some things to do first. You two just don't get hurt, okay?" he asked and both you and Sirius looked at him nodding excitedly.

"Okay!"

Sirius turned his face towards you so he could rub his wet nose against your cheek and you laughed loudly. Then he started licking all over your face and you tried to move away. "No Daddy! Please!"

You and Sirius rolled on the grass, laughing and barking, and Remus went back into the house with an amused sigh, knowing that both you and his husband wouldn't be very happy at the idea of a nice scented bath.

About an hour later, when Remus headed outside again to see what you and Sirius were doing, even before he opened the door he realized that there were no longer your squeals or Padfoot's barks ringing out in the air. In fact neither you nor your father were playing around in the grass anymore.

But then Remus' eyes fell on a scene a little further away from him that although it was nothing new in the Lupin-Black home, still never failed to make his heart swell with tenderness.

Curled up on the grass at the base of a tree trunk, Sirius, or rather Padfoot, dozed deeply while snoring (which he also did in human form), while your smaller figure lay curled against his side, sleeping as blissfully as he did. Remus wasn't surprised to notice how Sirius' tail curved towards your small body, trying to cover it in a somewhat protective position. And while his big muzzle blew from his nose on your legs, you held his soft dark fur in your hands as if it were the blanket on your bed.

Remus knew you would never care if Sirius' fur smelled or was dirty with grass and mud. Neither of you would ever pass up a (absolutely adorable in Remus' eyes) father-daughter nap.

[ WHEN YOU CUDDLED WITH REMUS AFTER THE FULL MOON ]

Knock Knock.

The door to the master bedroom opened and Remus smiled faintly when he saw your and Sirius' faces peek out from behind the door.

"Hey handsome. How are you feeling?" Sirius asked with a smile. "Someone here was a little worried about her Dad"

Sirius urged you into the room with a palm resting on your back and you slowly advanced towards their bed. Remus tried to sit up and managed to do it with difficulty, remaining half-lying with his back on two pillows against the headboard of the bed.

"Aw honey" he tiredly murmured. "We always tell you that you don't have to worry about me"

You raised your head to look at him with an uncertain look, unable to stop yourself from looking at his thin, bare torso covered in wounds.

"I know but..." you softly replied, squeezing your hands together. "I don't like to see your body full of scratches, Dad"

Remus and Sirius exchanged a look over your head and while the former looked at his husband with his usual look of disappointment and regret for all the pain he caused his family, Sirius gave him a smile of encouragement, as he always did when Remus became insecure.

So Remus let out a heavy breath and patting the blankets with his palm he invited you to get on the bed.

"Come here darling, come on"

You didn't have to be told twice and you jumped on the bed, climbing over his long legs and sitting next to him, on the side where Sirius slept. Remus raised a hand to caress your cheek with his thumb and you covered his hand with both of your smaller ones.

"Do they hurt a lot?" you muttered with worried eyes.

Remus realized that you were still referring to the scratches and all the wounds that decorated his body and he smiled and shook his head.

"Just a little. But i'm used to it, don't worry about me"

You nodded slowly and remained silent for a few seconds thinking about something, until you looked back at him.

"Dad?"

"Yes lovie?"

"Can i give you a hug? I promise i won't hurt you"

Remus felt his heart swell and looked at you tenderly. "I know you will never hurt me, my darling girl. You can give me all the hugs you want"

Finally he saw you smile slightly and without saying anything you leaned forward and curled up on his side, with your head on his shoulder. Remus wrapped his arm around your body, pulling you close and placed a couple of kisses on your head, delicately stroking your back with his fingertips.

Sirius leaned down to kiss you on the forehead before kissing Remus on the lips.

"I'll make you some hot tea. I'll leave you two alone" he whispered softly, moving his sandy hair from his forehead. Remus nodded, thanking him and watching him leave the room.

So you and your father remained on the bed, enjoying his sweet touches and occasionally listeningn to him talking about stories and funny moments to make the atmosphere more peaceful.

Holding you in his arms and filling you with cuddles was what Remus loved to do most in the world.

These were just some of the favorite moments of their life with you that Sirius and Remus would always hold in their memories. But for you, every second spent with them became a precious memory that you would've always held close to your heart. Unaware of the fact that you would've missed all of this even more after losing them both forever.

Hi guyss, so i was thinking, if you liked this story would you like maybe a version with the uncles/aunts, like Jily and the Slytherin Gang? Maybe even something with bestie!Harry too?? (Sorry not sorry but i love him)

It was another one of the usual days where Regulus and Barty were babysitting you, while Remus and Sirius went out with James and Peter for a Marauders reunion.

At that precise moment Barty was lying on the sofa, with an arm over his eyes, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth and his snores echoing throughout the living room. And even if that constant sound annoyed Regulus quite a bit, it didn't even matter to you since you were too busy listening to the words of your uncle, who was reading a book aloud to you while sitting on the carpet with you in the middle of his legs.

"So the brave prince took his sword and shield and, having mounted his horse, he went to the castle where the princess-"

"Uncle Reggie?"

Regulus froze when you called his name and lowered his head to look at you. You tilted your head back against his chest and looked up at him with your big, bright eyes.

"Yes, chérie?" he asked with a smile.

"Can i ask you something?"

Regulus nodded without hesitation.

"What is it?"

"Do you have any tattoos?"

Regulus frowned slightly, not understanding where that sudden question came from.

"No, i don't. Why do you ask?"

You moved between his legs to change position and Regulus closed the book and placed it on the floor to make more room for you, so you sat turned towards him to look at him better.

"Daddy has a lot of tattoos on his arms, his legs, his stomach and even his back" you said then and Regulus nodded, knowing his brother's tattoos well. "Dad has some too, but not as many as Daddy"

You continued to rock back and forth on his legs and with one hand you pointed to Barty sleeping on the couch.

"And uncle Barty has some too"

Regulus turned to look at Barty, knowing you were talking about the tattoos on his arms, the backs of his hands, and his fingers. Unlike Sirius, he even had one on his neck, which he personally didn't like, but it was very Barty style and suited him.

"But…" you shyly said and Regulus looked back at you. "But uncle Barty said that you and him have the same tattoo. Can i see it??"

Regulus felt his heart skip a beat when he heard those words and his body tensed, but you didn't notice. He remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about what to say to you and you continued to look at him patiently, waiting for his response.

Barty had told you about the Death Eater mark. Oh, how could he have been so stupid?! Neither Regulus nor your parents wanted to introduce you to the world of dark magic, your innocence needed to be preserved for as long as possible. And both your parents and Regulus knew what you were like: if you found out why Regulus and Barty had the Dark Mark you would be worried sick about them and they didn't want to scare you.

"I don't think you'd like it" your uncle murmured, trying not to say too much.

"Why?" you asked back, tilting your head to the side. "Is it ugly?"

Yes, it's hideous. And it burns on my skin like a hot iron. If only i had the courage i would cut it off with a knife.

"No" Regulus shook his head. "I just don't like it anymore"

After he and Barty found the courage to leave the Death Eaters, Regulus obviously regretted letting them mark his skin with that horrible figure. But years had passed and now he hardly thought about it anymore. But he never truly forgot.

"I'm sure it looks nice" you replied, flashing him an innocent smile. "Come on uncle Reggie, can i see it?? Please!"

"Chérie..."

"Just this once uncle Reggie, i swear. Pleaseee"

Regulus looked into your eyes intently, deciding what to do. He saw you making sweet eyes at him, with your hands clasped in prayer and he knew that it was now impossible to refuse your request.

So, with a sigh and his heart pounding with anxiety, he stretched his arm forward and then lifted the sleeve of his shirt, showing you the mark on his arm.

You opened your eyes wide and paused to look at the skull and the snake weaving beneath it that were tattooed on his arm, the black ink contrasting sharply with his pale skin.

Regulus looked at you silently, fearing your reaction. Not that you had any idea what that mark was, but he was still worried.

"Oooh" you murmured, then lifting your head towards Regulus. “So uncle Barty has this tattoo too?”

Regulus nodded slowly, trying to smile at you. "He has it on his arm too. Like me"

"Why a skull and a snake?"

"Because we like skulls and snakes"

"Did it hurt when you did it?"

Yes.

"No, sweetheart"

"And why did you get the same tattoo?"

Regulus looked at you tilting hid head with a small smirk.

"You are much more curious than usual today, aren't you?" he said and you giggled sheepishly.

Then he let out another sigh and he looked down at your little feet, his smile falling to make room for a sadder expression.

"We got it when we were younger. We were too stupid and now we regret it"

He wasn't going to explain that he and Barty had been part of a group of murderous dark wizards, but that was the gist of it.

"Don't say that! You and uncle Barty are not stupid!" you immediately retorted and Regulus looked back at you with an amused smile.

"Chérie, you can't understand" he tried to say, but you shook your head stubbornly and looked into his eyes intensely.

"I don't care. Just because you got a tattoo you don't like anymore doesn't mean you're stupid. So don't say that anymore, uncle Reggie. Okay?"

Regulus looked at you with a soft look and after a few seconds he nodded in surrender, knowing that it was impossible to argue with you. You had taken on all of Sirius' stubbornness and it showed.

Then a loud yawn rang through the living room and you and Regulus turned to Barty, who was slowly sitting up on the couch.

"What are you two talking about?" he muttered, stretching his arms upwards to stretch awkwardly.

You jumped up to run to him.

"Uncle Barty, uncle Barty, can i see your tattoo??” you asked frantically.

Junior fixed his hair with one hand, letting out another yawn. "Haven't i already shown you my tattoos a thousand times, little viper?"

You climbed up next to him on the couch and held onto his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "No, i mean the one with the skull and the snake. The one you and uncle Reggie have on your arms!"

Barty glanced at Regulus, who looked back silently then looked at the book he had left on the carpet. They would've talked about it later.

But unlike Regulus, Barty had no problem lifting the sleeve of his sweatshirt and showing you the mark on his skin that was identical to Regulus'. You stopped to look at him, with your hands resting on his thin arm and running your finger over the black lines.

"It's ugly, right?" Barty asked and you lifted your head towards him. "Does it scare you?"

But you shook your head.

"Why would it scare me?" you asked him, confused by his words.

Your father always bragged about all the tattoos that decorated his body. Why did Barty and Regulus seem to hate that tattoo instead?

But then an idea came to your mind.

"Oh, now i understand!" you suddenly exclaimed, making the two men jump.

You got off the couch and ran out of the living room, under the confused gaze of your uncles. A few seconds later you returned to the living room holding your trusted pack of colored markers that Lily had given you and that you were very fond of.

You returned to kneel next to Barty, who still had his arm exposed and you took out a red marker, then removed the cap. But before you could touch his skin with the tip, Barty stopped your hand.

"Hey hey hey what do you think you're doing with that, little viper?" he asked skeptically.

You smiled at him. "I want to color your tattoo, uncle Barty"

"And why is that...?"

"Because it'll become more pretty this way. So you and uncle Reggie can't say it's ugly anymore"

Barty frowned, while Regulus' eyes opened slightly in surprise. You shook Barty's arm again.

"Uncle Barty, can i color your tattoo, please?" you asked him.

Junior let out a sigh but then smirked and extended his arm towards you, resting it on your lap. "Give vent to your artistic streak, baby"

You smiled happily and wasted no time coloring his tattoo, under the watchful gaze of him and Regulus. Then you took another color and began to draw other shapes over and around his one.

"What are you drawing sweetheart?" Regulus asked you, looking at you from the carpet.

"I'm doing some butterflies and flowers" you replied in a focused tone, not looking up from Barty’s arm.

"I don't like butterflies" said the latter. "They're stupid"

You lifted your head to look at him and Regulus glared at him.

"They're not stupid" you replied calmly, not offended by his words, as you were used to Barty's language. "They are pretty and colourful"

"Nah. Better spiders and scorpions"

"Ew. I don't like spiders" you said with a grimace of disgust, then went back to work.

Barty chuckled, but made no move to stop you from continuing your job. He didn't like butterflies, but he would have had his entire body filled with stupid colorful butterflies if you had just asked him. Compared to Regulus, he was rougher and even a bit weirder, but Junior was just as protective as Regulus and would've done anything for you. Anything.

After a few minutes you were done and after putting the cap back on the marker, you took Barty's wrist and lifted his arm, showing it to Regulus.

"Ta-da! Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful darling" Regulus said with a tender smile.

"You're a real artist my little viper" Barty continued, ruffling your hair and making you smile proudly. "I can't wait to show everyone this masterpiece"

You got off the couch and walked back to Regulus, clutching the box of markers in your hands.

"Uncle Reggie, can i color your tattoo too?" you asked, rocking on your heels. "Maybe you'll like it more with some colors"

Regulus smiled as his heart swelled: he loved your sweetness and your innocence and he knew that despite the age gap that separated you, he could always feel safe with you, because you never judged him. You still couldn't realize it, but since Remus and Sirius had taken you in, you had become not only his beloved niece, but also Regulus's safe place.

"Of course chérie" Regulus nodded, rolling up again the sleeve of his marked arm.

You wasted no time in sitting between his crossed legs again and brought his arm into your lap, picking up a marker and starting to color. Regulus admired you coloring his mark, not caring that you were going outside the edges and then you started drawing something else, like you had done with Barty. But on Regulus' skin, instead of butterflies and colorful flowers, you had chosen to draw the moon, the sun and planets surrounded by many stars.

Regulus almost felt his eyes watering but managed to hold back the tears, especially since Barty was still there. So he limited himself to giving you a small kiss on the head, leaving his lips pressed to your hair for a few seconds, while you continued with your work, humming a melody invented on the moment. 

A few days later, Regulus and Barty came to visit Sirius and Remus and you and stayed for dinner (even though your parents would have preferred just Regulus to be there, but obviously they're joking).

"Come here sweetheart" Regulus called to you, inviting you to come closer with a wave of his hand. "I want to show you something"

You immediately got off Sirius' lap to go over to him and Barty, who were sitting on the other sofa, curious as ever.

Regulus lifted his sleeve, revealing his Dark Mark and you let out a gasp. Remus and Sirius frowned at the other two men, not too happy that you were aware of the mark, even if you didn't know the dark truth behind it. But before they could say anything in protest, they also noticed with shock what was on Regulus' arm.

You raised your head to look at your uncle with wide eyes. "Is this my drawing??"

Regulus nodded with a smile and you immediately rubbed your hand up and down his arm and your mouth fell open as you realized that the drawings of planets you had made on his skin weren't going away.

You didn't remember it precisely but Regulus did, and every single detail of the drawings you had done on him a few days before had been tattooed on his skin.

"It's a new tattoo, baby" Barty continued, noticing your confused eyes. "Look"

He lifted his sleeve, showing his mark and to your amazement you and your parents saw that his arm was full of colorful butterflies and flowers.

"I'm not understanding..." Remus murmured in confusion, alternating his gaze from Regulus to Barty.

"There is nothing difficult to understand, Lupin" Junior retorted. "My little viper here improved our tattoos because we didn't like them. This design suits my style much more, don't you think?"

"I love them!" you exclaimed with a toothy grin, bouncing in place. "I'm happy you like them more now!"

Regulus chuckled at your enthusiasm and leaned over to give you a hug, which you immediately returned. "It was thanks to you, chérie"

"Next time i want to get a new tattoo i'll ask you again, baby" Barty said looking at you with a smirk and you nodded frantically.

"Sure!"

Both Sirius and Remus stood up to take a closer look at what the other two had gotten tattooed. And they had to admit that both you and the tattoo artist had done a great job. The mark was hardly visible under all those drawings that came from your imagination.

"Reggie..." Sirius murmured then, catching his brother's attention. But Regulus gave him a smile when he saw his slightly sad look.

"Don't worry, Sirius. I'm fine" he said softly, not wanting you to know what they were talking about. "Thanks to what she did now i know that i can leave it all behind and forget"

Both Black brothers watched you admire the flowers decorating Barty's arm with a proud smile, along with Remus.

"I thought you hated butterflies, Barty" the latter said with an arrogant smirk equal to the tone Junior had used with him earlier.

"Shut your mouth Lupin. You cannot understand the meaning of this work of art"

Sirius placed a hand on Regulus' shoulder and squeezed it in comfort, before walking up behind you and lifting you into his arms, making you squeal in surprise.

"Ahh i can't believe my daughter did a tattoo for her uncles, especially for Barty?? Before your own dad?? This is not fair!" Sirius exclaimed dramatically, spinning in circles and making you laugh while Junior rolled his eyes.

When he stopped he looked intently into your eyes, nuzzling his nose against your soft cheek. "We need to fix this right away, young lady. You'll design a tattoo for me too now, right?"

And you nodded without hesitation.

"I'd love to, daddy!"

- “Yes, I know.” 

- “I was thinking…”- Raven made a pause and looked at her father, who was trying not to laugh.- “I know I can’t get a pony, but what if I have a lemonade stand and save a lot of money and you take me to Barnes and Noble and I get to buy all the books I can afford?”

Spencer never saw that plot twist coming. Of course, there was no way he could say “no” to his kid. Raven was very smart and she knew her dad would be thrilled with that idea. So, after a long logistic debate with his wife, and a talk with Nono Rossi, Spencer and (Y/N) scheduled a day. That Saturday, Raven was having her first lemonade stand in David’s front yard. They decided to do it there ‘cos it was a more family neighborhood than their street. You don’t usually see kids with lemonade stands in front of an apartment building, do you?

While (Y/N) went grocery shopping with their kids and got everything they needed to make lemonade, Spencer asked for professional assistance from a Lemonade Stand professional: Matt Simmons. 

- “So, did you ever sell lemonade as a kid?”- Matt asked Spencer as they set all the materials and tools in Rossi’s backyard. 

- “No, never. I really wasn’t into outdoor activities, as you might imagine.”- Spencer replied and Matt chuckled. - “But once one of my neighbors set one, and my father forced me to go and buy a cup.”  

- “Why did he force you?”- Matt questioned, confused. 

- “He wanted me to have friends my age. When I was seven, my best friend was the librarian.”- Spencer explained and looked around - “So, where do we start?” 

- “Did you get spray paint?”

- “Yes, all of Raven’s favorite colors.”- Spencer grabbed a few cans and tossed one to his friend. Rossi walked over and left a cooler filled with cold beers. 

- “I’ll leave this here, and in case you need me, I will pretend I can’t hear you while I spend my morning reading in my studio with the AC on.” 

- “Thank you for letting us do this here, Rossi.”- Spencer smiled at him as he shook one of the spray paint cans. 

- “Anything for mi principessa.”- David replied and waved as he walked back into the house.- “Good luck, kids!” 

Spencer had been right: Matt Simmons was a lemon stand pro. In two hours they had a green and lavender stand made with four wooden crates. One rod on each side of the stand helped hold a banner (Y/N) had made the night before that read “Raven’s Lemonade” and on the front, Spencer hung another banner that read: “Lemonade: ¢50” 

- “All set!”- Matt smiled proudly and tapped on Spencer’s back a few times. - “How do you feel?” 

- “Excited, pleased with our work… nervous?” 

- “Why are you nervous? Your kid is going to be thrilled!” 

- “I know, but… what if no one shows up? She would be broken-hearted…”- Spencer sighed at the thought of his baby pouting, and Matt shook his head right away.

- “There is no way that could ever happen here. Not under this heat and not in Rossi's neighborhood. Elderly people are very supportive.”

- “Hey!”- Rossi argued, overhearing Matt’s comment on his way out. - “Who is elderly?” 

- “Your neighbors!- Simmons explained right away, trying not to laugh.   

Raven Reid yelled and jumped with excitement when she saw her lemonade stand. She ran around Rossi’s backyard, nearly hyperventilating. She hadn’t been so excited since Santa brought her the telescope she wanted. 

- “It’s so pretty, daddy!!”- the little girl jumped into Spencer's arms and he caught her with a bear hug.

- “I’m glad you like it, birdie.”- he replied and kissed her chubby cheek. - “Did you and your mom get lots of lemons?” 

- “Yes, and some lemon bars too, in case someone is hungry.”- the little girl explained. 

- “Good idea, boo. Did you thank Nono Rossi for letting us set the stand in his front yard?”- the little girl shook her head and Spencer quickly set her down.- “Go tell him thank you.”- and off the girl went, running and yelling “Nono!” on her way into the house. Spencer stared at her as he stood in the middle of the backyard, putting all the tools Derek had given him a few years earlier back into the toolbox. His heart felt full of love knowing he could give his kids the childhood he never had. 

- “Hey there, Bob the builder.”- (Y/N) walked out to the backyard and smiled at her husband. - “This looks amazing.” 

- “Thank you.”- Spencer whispered and felt her lips on his immediately. 

- “Raven is ecstatic, she wants to start making lemonade right now.” - and just in time, they heard the little girl’s voice calling for her mommy. 

- “You heard the boss.”- Spencer whispered and kissed his wife one more time. Meanwhile, I’m gonna move this outside to the front yard.” 

- “Great, Pen said she was gonna come and help around four, so we should be ready on time.” 

When (Y/N) said Penelope Garcia was going to help, she pictured her friend slicing lemons and making lemonade along with her in Rossi’s kitchen. She never imagined her friend was going to… well… be Penelope Garcia, and take things over the top, as usual. 

First, Garcia didn’t slice a lemon, she might as well have chopped the entire tree: she got to Rossi’s with homemade lemon cupcakes, lemon cake, lemon tart, and lemon cookies (lemon shaped, of course, and covered in yellow frosting). She had so many trays with goods, Luke was forced to help her. He picked her up and gave her a hand carrying everything over to Rossi’s. 

- “Oh… my… good.”- (Y/N) whispered as she stared at the number of treats her friend had baked, piling on Rossi’s kitchen island.  

- “I know, I might have gone a little over the top, but once I started, I didn’t know how to stop.”- Garcia apologized and smiled guilty at her friend, who only had one worry in her mind. 

- “Ok, now I’m scared. How are we going to sell all this?”- (Y/N) asked, but Garcia dismissed her fears and shook her head immediately. 

- “Don’t worry about that! I’m sure Raven is going to do great. We’ll charge a dollar for everything, so she won’t get confused with math.” 

- “She is Spencer’s daughter”- (Y/N) chuckled as she spoke- “Math is not the problem. But Pen, I’m just scared no one is going to show up and she’ll feel discouraged. I don’t want my baby thinking she failed.” 

- “Nonsense! It’s a lemonade stand, everybody loves a lemonade stand!”- Garcia replied and grabbed a fresh lemon- “Now, let’s make more lemonade!”

Raven ran out of Rossi’s front door carrying a stack of paper cups and a bag of paper straws. Right behind her, her mom carried a big glass dispenser filled with fresh lemonade. Raven’s little stand was ready and open to the public. A glass jar on the top of the counter was ready to be filled with the profit of the dar. Spencer stared at his daughter and took a few pictures with his phone. Garcia and Luke carried some of the sweets to start the sale, and Rossi opened his wallet.

- “Are you my first customer, nono?”- Raven asked, making her mom and dad chuckle. 

- “I am, mi principessa. Can I have a cup of lemonade and a cookie, please?”- Rossi placed a dollar and 50 cents in the jar, and Raven’s eyes shone with joy as she poured her first order. 

- “I’m gonna need a lemonade too.”- Luke said as he paid and waited for the girl to give him a cup as well. 

- “Enjoy, uncle Luke.”- the little girl said and turned to her little brother Vincent, who was playing on a blanket on the grass their mother had set for him. - “Vinnie? Do you want some lemonade? For you, it’s on the house.”- the little girl grabbed her brother’s sippy cup and filled it with lemonade, as her parents filmed the entire moment on their phones. 

JJ and Will showed up a few minutes later with Henry and Michael to support Raven’s little business. The kids played on the street with their skateboards, as Raven sat behind her stand, waiting for her customers. 

A few of Rossi’s neighbors walked toward the lemonade stand, and Raven was shining. Her parents sat with little Vincent on his blanket and watched from a safe distance as their daughter took care of her paying customers. Meanwhile, Luke and García walked to the backyard with Rossi, Will, and JJ to enjoy the pool.  

- “Fresh lemonade, get some lemonade”- Raven said to everyone who walked down the sideway and passed her stand. Everybody stopped and bought something for the little girl, she looked adorable while selling her products. But at a certain point during the afternoon, no one was coming. And Raven looked at her money jar feeling discouraged. 

- “Mama… what if no one else comes?”- the little girl walked toward her parents and sat on (Y/N)’s lap. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek a few times, making the girl chuckle. 

- “Come on, it’s still early. It’s been what? just one hour? I promise by the end of the afternoon you are gonna be sold out of all the things you have in your stand.”- (Y/N) smiled and kissed her daughter’s cheek one more time before she stood up and walked back to her stand to wait for her customers. Spencer waited until Raven was far from them and turned to his wife. He didn’t have to say anything, she knew what he was thinking. It didn’t need saying. The two of them shared the same fear.   

But after just a few more minutes, something weird happened. Anderson parked his car in front of Rossi’s and waved at the Reid’s as he walked to Raven’s stand and ordered a lemonade and a slice of lemon pie for him and his boyfriend. And less than a minute later, Andi Swan’s car parked down the street, and she showed up with her husband to get a lemonade and a lemon cupcake. Not only that, but Matt Simmons, his wife, and all his kids showed up, excused themselves for being late, and ordered lemonade and lemon cookies for the entire family. Raven was on fire, and her parents were… confused to say the least. 

Where were all those people coming from? The cars kept parking: Ashley Seaver showed up with her kid and husband and got lemonade and lemon cake for her family. She hugged (Y/N) and Spencer and introduced them to her family, while more FBI agents kept showing up. 

Alex Blake parked and nearly ran to the Reids as her husband followed close behind. Kate Callahan showed up as well, with her kids and husband, and soon after, Tara Lewis came along. Raven got to ask her mom for help to serve all the customers, and soon Pen and Luke showed up with more sweets and to refill the lemonade jar. Somehow, what had started like a simple lemonade stand ended up being an FBI get-together family party.  

(Y/N) turned to Spencer and the two of them stared at the scene in shock. Pen and Luke walked to them and Garcia smiled and waved at everybody. 

- “What did you do?”- (Y/N) asked her friend and she simply giggled. 

- “I might have sent a few emails to everybody at the Bureau and some former agents telling them your little Birdie had a little entrepreneur of her own, and encouraged them all to come.”- Garcia explained and smiled innocently. 

- “Everybody is here! We only need Elle and Hotch and we’d have the biggest BAU reunion ever!”- (Y/N) looked around in disbelief and chuckled. 

- “You are forgetting me, little mama.”- (Y/N) froze and turned around slowly. That voice. She could never forget that voice. Derek Morgan stood in front of her, holding Savannah's hand and a stroller with their little boy: Hank Spencer Morgan. 

- “Derek!!”- (Y/N) jumped and ran to hug him, as he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. 

- “Mrs. Reid! I missed you so much!” 

- “I missed you too!”- (Y/N) said and turned to Savannah, who opened her arms and wrapped her in a hug.- “And you are gorgeous!!”

Spencer stared at their reunion with the biggest smile on his face, holding Vincent in his arms. 

- “Is that my little nephew? You haven’t sent pictures of him this week! He looks so much bigger! What are you feeding him?”- Morgan joked and looked at Spencer. - “You look like you could use a nap, boy wonder.” 

- “Two kids are more work than chasing serial killers”- the young doctor replied and chuckled as Morgan hugged him, tapping his back a couple of times.- “I missed you.”

- “Me too, brother.”- Morgan replied and smiled at his friend- “But I’m sorry to say I’m not here for you, I’m here for my little princess. Where is she?”- Derek walked to the stand, waving at their former colleagues on his way until he reached Raven and held her in his arms. 

- “Uncle Derek! You are here!!”- the little girl yelled and wide opened her eyes - “You have to help me with my stand!”

- “That’s what I am here for! Lemme see what your old man did here…”- Spencer stood behind his friend and waited for him to inspect the construction. 

- “I’m proud, you used the right nail for the wood.”- Morgan said, nodding. 

- “Of course I did.”- Reid replied, almost insulted 

- “Who helped you?”- Derek asked, and before Spencer could deny getting any help, his daughter explained.  

- “Uncle Matt said he had plenty of experience with lemonade stands, so he helped daddy.”

- “Simmons?”- Derek chuckled and turned to Reid.- “You two did a great job.”

- “Thanks.”- Spencer smiled and turned to Raven. - “So, what is your uncle Morgan going to have, birdie?”

- “For you, lemonade on the house, uncle Derek.”- the little girl said and handed him a paper cup. - “But if you want to eat anything, you are gonna have to pay, ‘cos auntie Penelope said we had to split the profits.”- Morgan tried not to laugh, but failed, as Raven stared at him, waiting for a reply. 

- “If that’s the case, I’m gonna have one of everything, thank you very much.”- and the little girl’s face lit with excitement as soon as she heard those words. 

The afternoon ended, the FBI agent returned to their cars, and the BAU family moved from Rossi’s front yard to the back. David, Derek, and Luke prepared a barbecue, the kids played in the backyard, and (Y/N) and Spencer put away the lemonade stand. Nothing was left, not even a cookie. The sale had been a complete success. 

- “How much did she make?”- Mrs. Reid asked her husband, who held the money jar and shook his head.

- “Over three hundred.”

- “Wow… she is gonna go crazy with the books.”- and as (Y/N) said those words and finished cleaning the last jar that was left in the sink, Spencer stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. 

- “Thank you.”- he whispered in her ear and sighed. 

- “What for?”

- “For giving me everything I ever dreamed of.”- (Y/N) turned around and stared at her husband for a few seconds. She then leaned in and kissed him sweetly. 

- “Eeewww!”- Raven said as she saw her parents kissing as soon as she walked into the kitchen. - “Uncle Derek is right, you are always kissing.” 

- “Hey! Come here-” (Y/N) commanded with a smile and the little girl giggled as she walked to her parents.- “It’s a good thing your parents are always kissing, and we are also always kissing your chubby cheeks!”- and as soon as she delivered that line, both Spencer and (Y/N) started kissing Raven’s cheeks.