"Remusssss," a VERY pregnant Tonks shouted. "I'm craving pickles, can you get the pickles?" Nymphadora and her husband Remus were having a quiet night at their small house. Well it was supposed to be a quit night, but Tonks' cravings and emotions were running high. Instead of relaxing Remus was just trying to appease his wife.
"Dear I think you finished the pickles yesterday when you ate them for dinner." Remus said praying that their dearth of pickles would not set off his wife's unstable emotional state.
"What?" she said, "Could you be a dear and go buy some I'm starving, and you owe me." He had had to go out every night that week to get her whatever she was craving. Last night had definitely been the strangest craving, scrambled eggs with ranch dressing on top.
" Yes dear I will be right back." Remus sighed. He put a pair of old sweats on and a jacket. It was around midnight so he didn't expect to see many people at the 24/7-quickie mart that was down the street from their house. He apparated to the back door and walked around. "Pickles, pickles now were are the pickles." He thought to himself, but he had actually said it out loud. The man next to him in the isle said "Now what would you need pickles for at midnight… Wait let me guess your pregnant wife is having weird food craving?" Remus looked up and the young man smile.
"How did you know?" Remus asked. The man smiled again.
"Same reason I'm here." He said, "My wife insisted if she didn't get some rice crispy treats she was going to explode." On closer inspection Remus noticed he too was dressed in flannel bottoms.
"By the way." The man said." The pickles are right over there." Remus looked over and sure enough he was face to face with enough pickle jars to quench the cravings of any woman in Great Britain.
"Thanks." Remus said, but the man had already gone. Remus headed back to the flat he and his wife shared. "Love I'm home." He hollered
"I'm on the couch" she groaned "who ever said that morning sickness would be over by the third trimester was a liar. Did you get my pickles?"
"Yes dear I got the pickles, but if your stomach is upsetting you don't you think you should eat something else? Remus asked.
" No, I want pickles and I don't give a rats arse if that upsets my stomach more." She said, "I will eat what I want to eat and you can't do anything about it!" Remus hoped this wouldn't expand into large emotional upheaval. Tonks had been very emotional over the past few weeks and it was not fun to be on the wrong side of an auror especially an off duty pregnant one.
"Ok eat the damn pickles then," he said in an exasperated tone.
"Don't speak to me that way!" Tonks wailed as she burst into tears. Remus groaned. This was exactly the kind of incident he was trying to avoid.
"Honey, come on love, look I'm sorry." He sighed. He never under stood why woman were so emotional. He had been able to handle it for the past 7 months, but was growing very tired. " Tonks, you have to understand, its late, and I'm just a little tired. You know I get grumpy when I get tired." She frowned and just kept trying to open the jar. After a few more seconds of struggling Remus offered to help.
"No, no, no" She said. "I don't want you begrudged help. You just go to bed if you are soooo tired, I can do this myself!"
"Dora, you are being ridiculous. Let me help you. I WANT to help you." Remus said.
"Here" she said thrusting the unopened pickle jar his way. "You try!" He opened it with ease and she let out a small groan. "Now why can't I do that?" She wailed, bursting into tears again.
"Here take the God damn pickles!" He said hoping this would keep her quit for a moment or two. He was right; she began to eat contently, the jar placed precariously over her bulging stomach.
He knew it was going to be a long couple of months…