The couple walked down the dark streets in heavy cloaks, snow falling upon their heads. The man reached his hand out to the woman, who grasped it tightly. They moved never quite in silence, for there was always a rustle of their cloaks, a white foggy breath let out, snow crunching under their feet. Some time had passed since they'd last spoken. It was the woman who broke the silence, finally saying, "I'm not quite sure why I'm going to this meeting,"

The man frowned. "Lily, you know you're just as much a member of the Order as anyone." he said, in a tone of someone who'd spoken these words many times before.

Lily made a derisive noise, shaking snow out of her long hair as she walked. "What do I do, James? I file information, I nurse wounds. Jobs easy enough that anyone could do them. I'm no longer an asset to this organization."

James shook his head quickly. "Please don't think that, darling. You will always be an asset to the Order, no matter if you're filing and healing or going on missions. I know it drives you mad to be at home, but don't for a second think that we don't need you," He had stopped walking, and was facing her directly, saying the words with conviction.

"Why can't I go on missions?" she demanded suddenly, irritation growing. "It's not as if the Death Eaters know I'm with-child and I'm just as fast and as skilled as any of you." As if proving her point, Lily drew her wand at an incredible speed as she spoke, brandishing the weapon as it gave off sparks.

James pushed her hand down, forcing her to lower her wand. He gave a darting glance about the area before speaking; they were all alone, it seemed. Still he spoke softly. "I know you are, Lily. It's just not safe. It'd be different if it was only your life at risk, but I am not willing to allow the possibility of losing both my wife and my child. You have to put his or her life before your own wants." He gave her a weary and impatient look before beginning to walk.

Stowing her wand, she matched his pace and then whirled around so she stood in front of him. "This isn't about my 'wants', James. Do I want to fight? Yes. But the larger matter is that we need every bloody person out there we can get, and you know it. If the Order does need me, it needs me fighting." Determined green eyes stared into hard hazel, neither with their usual warmth. Snow still dropped down from the sky and the wind covered their words from unwanted ears.

He narrowed his eyes at his wife, growing angrier by the minute. "Don't try and justify this, Lily, because you can't. You are protecting a baby. Our baby. Forgive me for saying this, but this child's life means more to me than the one's you could be saving. The Order can do without the loss of two people. Three, probably, since I wouldn't dare let anyone touch you while I was alive,"

"I can protect myself, James. I am more than capable of handling most Death Eaters, and you know it."

James's expression turned to something akin to a sneer. "Most, Lily. I, as well as the rest of the Order, aren't willing to lose you on most. Say we did put you out in the field again. What if you went under the Cruciatus? What if that affected the baby? What if... something happened to them? Would you able to live with yourself, knowing that it was your stubbornness and pride that caused us to- to lose them?" His voice cracked slightly, taking some of the effect of his speech away, but he looked at her obstinately nonetheless. It was all he could do to stomp from stamping his foot like petulant child in aggravation.

Lily's face was pained. "I would be careful, James," she said, quieter than she had been. The wind was picking up. The streetlights surrounding them were barely visible, and the snow was falling at a faster pace. Were he not so close, he might not have heard her.

"Not careful enough," he replied in a whisper, his irritation fading. "We're all careful... Gideon and Fabian, they were being careful. Benjy was always careful. Dorcas was never careful, but she cared enough to try and we still lost her. I can't lose you, Lily. I won't."

A new emotion flitted across her face that James couldn't identify. "You're glad I can't fight." Lily realized aloud. She didn't exactly seem angry, but she clearly was not happy either. "You're glad I'm not able to go out on the field with the others, pregnant or not. You wished I could be at home before, and now you have a reason. You're glad," she repeated, looking disappointed.

James averted his gaze, staring out into the vast emptiness that surrounded the road. "I won't pretend I'm not relieved that you aren't on the front-lines of this right now. It's getting darker out there. We're losing people fast. Every day you're not out risking your life grants me a another night's rest." It pained him to let her down, but he knew he must. He downplayed his thoughts enough around her. He owed her some honest insight.

"Then when am I to get a restful night?" she asked him in a whisper. The wind was dying down, but the evidence of it remained on her face in reddened cheeks and watery eyes. Perhaps those were for other reasons too, ones James wasn't quite ready to think about. "I have to watch you leave every day, James. Every single day I see you leave without knowing if you'll come back. Is it so much to ask that I fight alongside you, knowing I am able to do everything in my power to keep you out of harm's way?"

"It's not the same thing, Lily." He shook his head, willing himself to be unaffected by her words. "You're-"

"Pregnant," finished Lily, not bothering to hide her frustration. "I bloody well know. I'm just asking you to think of the situation from my perspective. If you were forced to stay on the sidelines, I know you would fight tooth and nail to get back to my side. You know it too."

He shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wished he was stronger, strong enough to deal with this, but he wasn't. He was hit with the thought once more that he was truly just a child doing a man's job. "I wish I could do something for you, darling, but there is absolutely no possible way for me to keep you both happy and safe,"

"So keep me happy, love. I'll keep myself safe." she pleaded, biting her dry lips.

He opened his eyes and leaned forward so that his head rested upon hers. "Then who's going to keep our baby safe?"

She wrapped her arms around him as she was wont to do, and sighed into his neck. Her breath and his heartbeat were all he could hear. "They won't be," she admitted, her voice muffled by his clothing. "Whether I'm dueling at the front or not."

A/N: Disclaim. In the interest of shameless self-promotion, I'm rebooting DITR and TFTT (now known as Mischief Unmanageable). Check them out, if you'd like.