Five Words Tonight
By: Trep092
Disclaimer: J K owns these characters not me.
A/N: The title, and the lyrics used in this fic are from the Bon Jovi song "Thank You For Loving Me" which I also don't own.
Warning: This fic is completely unbetaed. I only came up with the idea today and then didn't have time to send it to my beta.
"Are you sure you'll be all right Padfoot?" asked James for what seemed like the hundredth time in five minutes.
"Yes Prongs, little Harry and I'll get on fine. I am his Godfather after all." Sirius sighed. "I swear I won't leave him unattended, or blow anything up."
"Maybe this is a bad idea," Lily said anxiously.
"Ok, maybe I shouldn't have brought up the blowing up thing so soon. It was a onetime occurrence. I swear."
"And how exactly did that happen again?" asked James with a twinkle of mirth in his eyes which Sirius missed completely.
"An honest mistake. I went to get Harry his bottle and... well I reheated it and the spell was a bit much and the bottle exploded..." Sirius stammered uncharacteristically.
He looked desperately around trying to find a way to reassure the nervous couple. Spying Harry sound asleep in his bassinet. He made a move to scoop up the infant, but James grabbed his arm.
"Calm down Padfoot. I was joking. You should have seen your face. We know you won't blow up any more baby bottles. Just be careful when you heat up your dinner."
Sirius began to mouth wordlessly and wave his arms about as he tried to assure them that he wouldn't do anything to endanger their son.
James began to laugh. He and Lily had left Sirius with Harry for an hour one day when they popped out to the store and they had returned to find Harry sound asleep and a frantic Sirius trying to mop up the mess he'd caused with the baby's bottle. This had been the cause of much good-natured ribbing for the next few weeks, but Sirius seemed to really think that they found him unfit now to look after Harry.
"... I swear-what are you laughing for?" asked Sirius as he was brought to a halt in his ranting by the roar of laughter from his best friend.
"You look crazy Padfoot, waving your arms around like that. You look like Harry during one of his tantrums. That or the giant squid. Just calm down. Lily and I trust you with Harry, why else would we be leaving him with you?"
"You'll be fine Sirius," said Lily softly. "Thank you for doing this for us."
The Potters were heading out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. Sirius had suggested that he look after Harry so that they could get a few hours of alone time. Of course James had started to tease him about not being able to find a date for Valentine's Day, but Sirius just shrugged him off. Actually he had had a date, but when he heard that his friends couldn't go out because they couldn't find a babysitter he immediately came to their rescue. He knew how much alone time meant to them, and he never passed up an opportunity to spend time with his Godson.
So now they were here, James and Lily about to head out the door, and he gabbling like an idiot. He closed his mouth, put down his wildly gesturing arms and took a deep breath.
"We'll be fine," he said calmly.
"Good," said Lily. "Well we're off. We'll be back around nine."
"Have fun," said Sirius with a smile.
*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*HP*
"You suppose he'll be fine?" asked Lily as they walked down the twisting lane away from their cottage.
"Of course," said James confidently.
They walked a few more steps then James stopped beneath a towering tree. He turned to Lily and smiled. His wife was stunning. She was wearing a soft green dress that brought out her emerald eyes. Her dark red hair curled softly over her shoulders and tumbled down her back.
He couldn't help it. He kissed her lips softly, pulling her into a gentle hug.
"You don't know how much I love you Lily." He said as he released her.
"Not as much as I love you," She said teasingly. "Now, where is it you are taking me?"
"That my dear is a surprise." He grinned broadly and grasped her hand in his. He turned on his heel and a moment later they appeared in a narrow alleyway.
They walked hand in hand towards the warm glow of the streetlights. As they reached the sidewalk, James turned to the right and began to stroll casually down the road.
Lily didn't know where they were headed. They were in London, but in a less traveled area. There were small shops along the streets and a few couples like them were out and about.
"Where are we going James?" she asked again growing even more curious.
"We're almost there," he replied his grin growing larger. He was glad his wife was excited. He had made these plans last minute but they were perfect.
Turning a corner he pulled Lily to a halt in front of a small, out of the way Italian restaurant. He held the door for her and then followed her inside.
The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. The lights were dim, supplemented by candles burning in the centre of little round tables scattered around the room.
He gave the maitre-d his name and they followed him to a table tucked away in a private niche.
James held Lily's chair for her and then sat down as well. The table cloth was white and there were rose petals scattered over it. The centre piece was three candles surrounding a vase holding a long-stemmed rose and a lily.
Lily was beaming. Years ago she wouldn't have believed that James was capable of being so romantic, but that was before he had grown up and she had swallowed her pride and agreed to go out with him.
"Oh James," she gasped happily, "this is wonderful." Not caring about propriety, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately.
He responded eagerly, glad she had liked his surprise. They would have stayed like that forever if the waiter had not approached and coughed discretely to announce his presence.
Reluctantly breaking apart, they ordered wine and pasta. Until their dinner arrived they simply held hands across the table and chatted quietly about inane things.
"It's just so nice for us to be able to relax and talk," Lily sighed happily. "I can't remember the last time we did this. Thank you so much James."
"You're welcome," James smiled and kissed her hand which he still held.
When their food arrived they ate companionably. They shared their food and laughed as they got tomato sauce on their faces as they ate off the other's fork.
They talked about old memories; carefully avoiding marring the occasion by discussing the war. They laughed as they remembered the Marauder's various pranks and schemes.
For dessert they ordered and shared a chocolate gelato, sneaking kisses every few bites. When they finished they simply sat in a haze of relaxation and love, The warm candle light flickering over their faces.
"Oh!" James exclaimed at one point. "I have something for you."
"You didn't have to—"
"Of course I did."
He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small box presenting it to her with a slightly nervous smile.
"Oh James!" Lily gasped as she opened the box to reveal an exquisite necklace. It was a small perfect lily with a glittering emerald set in the centre. "It's perfect!"
James stood and came around the table. He gently raised her hair and fastened the chain about her neck. It looked stunning on her. The emerald was the exact shade of her eyes.
Lily kept reaching up to feel where the delicate pendant hung in the hollow of her throat. She couldn't believe that James had bought her something so beautiful.
"I love you," she said completely choked up.
"I love you too," James replied his eyes sparkling with love. He couldn't have hoped for a better evening.
As they left the restaurant James slipped his arm around Lily's waist pulling her close. It had begun to snow and large fluffy flakes were falling from the sky and settling in Lily's hair.
As they reached the alleyway he turned to her and grasped both of her hands. Her face was upturned and snowflakes were landing in her eyelashes. He kissed her again and began to twirl her around. They twirled in the snow for a few minutes and then he pulled her back to him. Nestled against his chest with his strong arms about her, she smiled contentedly.
Spinning on the spot, he dipped her and they disapperated. As they appeared in the lane, he caught her and pulled her back to his chest. How he loved this girl.
It wasn't snowing in Godric's Hollow, but white crystals still clung to Lily's hair like a net of pearls. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"I suppose we should go see what mayhem Padfoot and our son have created." James said reluctantly.
"Yes I suppose we should." Sighed Lily. "This evening was perfect James."
"Your perfect," James replied.
They held hands as they meandered up the lane towards their cottage. They were reluctant for the evening to end.
As they reached their front door they stopped for one last long kiss and embrace. Then, sighing, James opened the door.
The cottage was dark and silent. They tiptoed across the threshold and gently closed the door. By the light of the moon through the living room window they saw Sirius fast asleep on the couch with a little black-haired bundle in his arms.
"Aw." Lily said softly. The two parents stood for a few moments watching the sleeping duo. "Should we wake him?"
"No," James replied. "Let's leave them. I have a better idea." He began to pull Lily in the direction of their bedroom. Trying to stifle her giggles she followed.
Closing the door softly James lit the lamps with his wand and cast silencing and locking charms on the door.
"Now where were we?" he asked Lily. She placed her hands on his waist and they began to dance. As they passed the dresser, James leaned over and turned on the Muggle radio which sat on the top. The room was filled by the sound of a soft rock ballad.
It's hard for me to say the things
I want to say sometimes
There's no one here but you and me
And that broken old street light
Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words tonight
Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes when I couldn't see
For parting my lips when I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
They swayed and twirled to the slow rhythm. James eventually guided them towards the bed and they sat down.
"Oh!" Lily almost shouted. "I nearly forgot your present."
"You didn't have to get me anything. You just being here with me is present enough." He tried to hold on to her but she leapt up and rummaged around in her bed-side table.
She eventually came up with a flat package. When he unwrapped it he found tickets to the next England quidditch match.
Smiling he laid the tickets carefully aside and then wrapped his arms tightly around his wife. "Thank you Lils."
He carefully laid her back on the bed and he lay down beside her.
Cross my heart
I wear no disguise
If I tried, you'd make believe
That you believed my lies
Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes when I couldn't see
For parting my lips when I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
As they began to undress each other Lily leaned forward and kissed James. "I love you," she whispered. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For loving me. For this evening. For everything."
As they crawled under their sheets and began to show each other how much they loved them, the song played on in the background.
You pick me up when I fall down
You ring the bell before they count me out
If I was drowning you would part the sea
And risk your own life to rescue me, yeah
Lock the doors
Leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words tonight
Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes oh, when I couldn't see
You parted my lips when I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
Later, when they both lay sated in each other's arms, there blissful peace was shattered by the squalling of the infant in the front room.
"I'll get him." Lily said leaning over for one more kiss.
She pulled on her pyjamas and went to see what was wrong. She found Sirius wide awake on the couch attempting to comfort the crying boy.
"I'll get him Sirius," She said as she lifted her son into her arms.
"Didn't know you were home," said Sirius thickly through a yawn.
"We got home a couple of hours ago. You two looked so peaceful we were loathed to disturb you."
"I suppose I'll be off," Sirius said attempting to stand.
"That's all right, you can sleep here. It's too late to be out and about and you look exhausted."
"Yes, I think I'll take you up on that offer," Sirius replied, "This little guy kept me busy." Yawning expansively, Sirius rolled over on the couch and almost instantly fell back asleep.
Smiling gently, Lily pulled a blanket over him and carried Harry off to his bedroom.
After she had changed him, given him his bottle and rocked him to sleep, she stood over his crib and smiled lovingly. Her life was complete. She had a wonderful son, an adoring husband, and good friends. She hoped that they could continue like this for the rest of their lives. Sure the Wizarding World was in turmoil and they could be lost tomorrow, but in this moment, the world was perfect and she didn't want it to change.
Crawling back into bed with her husband later, she fell asleep snuggled up to his warmth with the song still running through her head.
When I couldn't fly
Oh, you gave me wings
You parted my lips when I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me