As much as it pained him, Teddy had waited until the weekend to visit James and Fred. His heart was in his mouth as he drove up to the small house nestled in a long terrace street. It was almost too much for him. The front garden was so... them. A low wall, with a small gooseberry bush presiding over a small bed of pansys. The front door was green and Teddy was sure he felt his heart stop as he lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

It took precisely two minutes and thirty one seconds for someone to open the door. And Teddy found himself face to face with Fred Weasley the second. And he did not look impressed.

"Hi Fred." Teddy smiled at the boy, who sighed and shook his head.

"I don't believe it. I just... Teddy why?" Fred opened the door wider and allowed the older man to enter the house.

"I'm sorry, I should have called, I should have-" Fred cut him off.

"Teddy we've been blaming ourselves for the past three years." Fred took a deep breath. "We missed you so much!"

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have just left like that. I- it's hard to explain." Teddy sat down in the small living room Fred had led him to. "Where's James?"

"At work." Fred sat down opposite him and sighed. "He's missed you, we all have. We thought it was because of us, that you were sick of us and that's why you left."

"You haven't done anything wrong, neither of you." Teddy shook his head, it was hard to explain. "Vic said he got Sundays off."

"In theory he does." Fred replied, "he never refuses to go in if they call."

"So... How's your job?" Teddy was struggling for words, this wasn't how he'd imagined it going, but then he really wasn't sure how he had thought it was going to go.

"No, none of that, you can explain where you've been for the past three years." Teddy sighed, he knew Fred was expecting some tale of something glorious, but in actual fact it hasn't been the best three years of his life.

"I travelled the country." Fred's interest peaked at this. "I drank too much and didn't stay long enough anywhere to make friends." Teddy sighed, recounting his time away from their small town with a heavy heart. He regretted it, he had regretted leaving every day for the past three years, but he hadn't had the courage to return home.

"Teddy why did you go?" Fred asked, he wasn't one to beat about the bush.

"I felt so trapped here, but the moment I left I wanted to come home, but I couldn't." He sighed. "And now you all hate me."

"We don't hate you Teddy, we've missed you." Fred shook his head. "I'm just glad you're back."

"Thanks Fred." Teddy smiled weakly, before jumping up as the door opened.

"Teddy don't." Fred tried to stop him, but he still met James in the doorway, who stared at him before hugging him fiercely.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" James yelled into his shoulder, Teddy held his best friend not regretting leaving more than he did at that moment.

"I'm sorry." Teddy didn't want to let his friend go, he had missed him.

"Teddy you just left you..." James cut himself off. "For fucks sake I thought you were dead."

"I'm sorry, I just... I had to get away, but all I've wanted for the past three years is to come home." Teddy told him, James let go of him, shaking his head.

"And you didn't because?" James asked, sitting down on the couch with a sigh.

"I was too scared." Teddy finally admitted. James rolled his eyes.

"You're an idiot."

"I know."

"Bad day?" Fred asked James carefully, James nodded.

"A lot of kids breaking limbs, they wouldn't stop crying." He sighed, "The local schools were in a rugby tournament together, so we had a lot of snapped bones."

"Sounds awful, why do you do it?" Teddy asked.

"Because I save lives." James replied. "So what did you get up to?"

"Not anything useful Jamesie. I have no qualifications and I've no experience of a job." Teddy sighed.

"So I guess the question now is what are you going to do?" James asked, Teddy shook his head defeatedly.

"I don't know." He replied. James and Fred both sighed at the same time.

"Do you want to stay here?" Fred offered. Teddy nodded slowly.

"I... I went to see Harry and Ginny on Friday." He told them, they both froze.

"What happened?" James asked knowing his parents all too well.

"The longest lecture of my life. I made Ginny cry." Teddy bit his lip, unable to look at the wide-eyed stare of James as he tried to comprehend anyone making his mum cry, especially Teddy.

"Oh my god, who are you?" Teddy knew James was only half joking.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate you letting me stay." Teddy said after a moments silence.

"No problem, you've got to get used to this place again." James shrugged, pulling his boots off. They must have been new because the back of his ankle was red raw and his socks stained with blood in the same area.

"I may need help adjusting, I won't lie." Teddy admitted.

"First things first you need to figure out what you're going to do with your life." Fred told him.

"Oh thanks, but I guess you're right." Teddy nodded. "So where am I sleeping?"

^^^^
Teddy couldn't sleep, he'd tried and tried, but it wasn't working, he'd given up with lying staring at the ceiling and decided to see if James was still up. The boys had given him a tour of the house, and he had figured out that James' room was next to eve guest room.

Padding across the landing, Teddy knocked on the door.

"Bloody hell Teddy it's one AM!" James exclaimed. Teddy laughed and opened the door.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked, closing the door behind him and sitting down on the edge of James' bed.

"Fred just barges in." James replied, sitting up. "What's wrong?"

"I want to apologise, properly... for everything." He said sincerely.

"Only taken you three years." James laughed. "Teddy it's fine. I'm just glad you're back."

"I missed you Jamesie, honestly."

"Missed you too Tedster, now are you gonna sit there and watch me sleep or are you going to skidaddle?"