Timing

Lily Potter looked out her living room window and watched a young woman pushing a stroller into the park across the street. She sighed and said, "I want to have a baby."

"What's that, love?" Her husband asked. When she turned to look at him, she noted with disappointment that he hadn't even put down his paper.

"I want to have a baby." She repeated the sentence a bit more forcefully. This time, her husband folded his paper and set it on the table next to his seat.

"Right now?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips.

She pursed her lips. "Don't be smart with me. I'm being serious." She turned to look out the window again. The young mother had disappeared from her view, but she could see young kids playing on the swing set.

"Lily." James stood up and walked over to where she was standing, peering out the window. She didn't look at him. "Lily," he said again, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You know I want to have a baby." She turned hopefully toward him. "But," her face fell, "don't you want to wait until we can parade around the streets, showing off our beautiful baby? Don't you want to wait until its safe?"

"When will that be?" She asked, moving away from him to sit down on the sofa. "When was the last time you can think of that we were carefree and able to parade around safely?"

"I know that it has been a long time, but it can't last forever." James sat next to her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It has to stop eventually."

Lily shrugged her shoulders, not convinced. "Voldermort is growing stronger every day."

"He will eventually grow too powerful, too strong."

"And what, we just have to wait to live our lives until he's run his course?" Lily said, moving her hand away from his. "Are we supposed to put our lives on hold and hide like scared little mice until the storm is over?"

James shook his head. "We are living our lives. We have our life together, don't we?"

Lily didn't say anything. She looked at her gold wedding band and diamond engagement ring and spun them around her finger nervously.

"Lily?" He put a hand on hers to stop her fidgeting. "Why now? Why out of the blue are you so concerned about having a baby?"

Lily took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly and said, "Because. I'm pregnant."

When Lily opened her eyes his eyebrows were knit together like she had spoken in some kind of cryptic code he couldn't crack. But then, as he began to comprehend the meaning of her words, a smile lightened his handsome features.

She knew everything would be ok.

Well. This idea started forming while I was getting ready for bed, but then my cat wouldn't let me go to sleep. I figured I might as well do something productive. And now here we are.