Chapter 12

The day after her fight with James Lily was painting the nursery. She had painted the walls red and was hand painting little golden snitches across the walls, she was fairly certain she could rig the light switch so that the snitches raced around the wall when she turned the light out, so that the baby would have something to watch.

"Lily are you here?" she heard James call from downstairs.

"I'm in the nursery," she shouted back. She wasn't expecting him to drop by, especially since she had told him the day before that she didn't want him around her for a while. She could only be so strong. She heard up run up the stairs two at a time and open the door to the room next door.

"Oh...you changed this into the nursery," he said when he came into the room Lily was in. She was sitting on the floor in one of James' old shirts, her hair in a loose ponytail and flyaway hairs lying on her face.

"Yeah I thought it would be nice for the baby to have the big window," she said. "I could build a toy box under the window instead of that couch."

"You could build a toy box," he said raising an eyebrow at her. Lily was not known for her DIY skills.

"Fine I could hire someone to build a toy box," she said sitting her paintbrush down,

"I like the color," said James looking around the room.

"Thank you," said Lily. "It reminds me of the Gryffindor common room."

"Yeah me too," he said. "I love the snitches too, you always were good at painting."

"Thank you," said Lily. "It gives me something to do, it's pretty relaxing too."

"Good," said James.

"James what are you doing here?" she asked bluntly.

"I just wanted to see you," he said honestly.

"James don't do this," she sighed. "I told you yesterday, I need some time to get used to this new arrangement."

"I know you do," said James. "But I have a little problem with that."

"What kind of problem?" she asked suspiciously. She knew the look on James' face, and it wasn't good.

"I hate being away from you," he confessed. "I have never been so miserable in all my life."

"Oh...."

"I haven't slept properly since the night you left on that mission, I sit up all night in the dark with a glass of firewhiskey," said James. "I read all your letters you sent while you were away, I still have most of them actually. So I know that you want time away from me, but I can't be away from you, you're like air to me."

"James..."

"I have been so awful to you," he continued. "I hate that I made you cry, the one thing I have always prided myself on is that I have never hurt you...I guess I can't really say that anymore."

"Same here," said Lily. "I know that this is my fault. I left on the mission, I got pregnant and I didn't tell you."

"Hey it takes two to make a baby," said James using a tone she hadn't heard in a while. It was the tone he used to use when they first started dating, the voice he had used when saying his vows at their wedding, as if nothing else matter except the two of them.

"It's different it's my uterus," said Lily.

"Your uterus couldn't do squat without my guys," said James.

"That is true," Lily laughed. "So I can blame your guys for the aching feet, the weird food craving and the future sleepless nights."

"Being pregnant hasn't been much fun for you has it?" James sighed.

"It hasn't been so bad," said Lily softly. "I can feel the baby move now."

"You can?" asked James hopefully. "Can I feel it?"

"They aren't moving right now," said Lily. "You can't really feel it on the outside yet, they can't kick or anything it just sort of moves."

"Right," said James unable to hide his disappointment.

"Don't worry it's normal for the baby not to be kicking yet," said Lily softly.

"Okay," said James. "Do you want me to rub your feet?"

"Thanks but it is okay," said Lily. "I've been sitting down painting for hours."

"Do you want me to rub your butt?"

"James!" she giggled.

"Sorry," he said putting his arms in the air. "Can we please just talk?"

"We are talking," she said smiling for the first time in weeks.

"I mean a serious talk about us," said James.

"I thought there wasn't any us anymore," said Lily.

"Yeah I have been thinking about that and it's stupid," said James bluntly. "I love you, I have always loved you."

"I love you too," said Lily.

"I was hurt and I was angry," said James.

"You had every right to be," said Lily.

"I know you're sorry though and I know that you didn't mean to betray me," said James. "I know you were scared."

"I was."

"I had a really long talk with someone who managed to talk some sense into me," said James. "We still have some problems we have to deal with, and it's not going to be easy but I love you and I hate being away from you. So if it's alright with you, I want to give us another chance because I don't believe either of us will ever be able to find anything half as good as this again."

"You want to try again?"

"I do," smiled James. "We can work through our problems together, can't we?"

"Yes," said Lily.

THE END