Look around, look around

At how lucky we are

To be alive right now...

It had been four months, and James and Sirius were going to be back any minute. They'd been on an Order mission in Ireland since January, and Lily had barely slept the whole time. It had been torture, waiting for the Patronus she got every morning at three o'clock sharp, signalizing that her husband and his brother were alive and back at their flat.

Lily was frantically trying to finish dinner before the boys arrived. They'd undoubtedly be hungry, having only two small meals every day for four months. She couldn't keep her eyes off her clock though, waiting for eight p.m. to come. Time seemed to move ten times slower than usual, and eventually, Lily gave up on cooking all together, cleaning the burnt steaks with a wave of her wand and opting to lie down on the couch for ten minutes while she waited.

The clocked ticked slower than ever as it came to 7:55. Everything was going in slow motion, from her breathing to the sitcom on their television. This was horrible.

7:57 came even slower. Lily was starting to think there was a problem with her clock.

It felt like an eternity before 7:58 arrived.

She could've sworn it was another hour before 7:59 came.

Lily watched the thinnest hand, as it slowly moved around the black and white clock just above her bookshelf. Watching it will only make it come slower, a tiny voice in the back of her head supplied, and she knew that, but she simply couldn't make herself look away from the clock that was going to tell her that her husband was alive, in just thirty seconds.

Twenty.

Ten.

Three.

Pop!

The sound Lily had been waiting for all day. Two small pops of Apparation were all it took to put her back on her feet, racing toward the front door. She heard the familiar, much missed bark that was Sirius's laugh, and the adorable snort that belonged to James as one of them told a seemingly hilarious joke. Lily took a breath, hoping and praying that they were still the same as they were when they left Headquarters at the end of January. She laid her hand on the doorknob, waiting for one of them to knock, wanting to give the pair a moment to relax on the porch. She could hear them talking in hushed whispers until, finally, there were six knocks on the door in a pattern Lily recognized. It was James's knock, the exact same as it always had been before. Lily took a second to compose herself before twisting the knob, pulling the door open slowly.

Before the door was even fully open, Lily was engulfed in, quite possibly, the tightest hug she'd ever experienced, and she was hugging James back, and the four longest months of her life were officially over. Her husband was no longer away and risking his life like the brave man he was and always will be. He was home, all in one piece.

A long kiss followed that hug, and when they parted briefly to breathe, Lily saw Sirius turned away, looking at the violets and lilies as though he'd never seen them before. Lily embraced James again. "I missed you, darling," she muttered into his shoulder.

"Missed you more." James pulled his head back so they could press their foreheads together, and Lily closed her eyes lightly, relishing the feeling of James's breath on her face."You're beautiful, Lils. God, you're so beautiful."

Lily smirked, opening her eyes to meet James's gorgeous, soft hazel ones. "I forgot how cute you are."

"How could you possibly forget?" James asked quietly, and this only made Lily's smirk grow into a bright smile.

"Don't know." Lily kissed James again, this time softly, and James slid his hands into Lily's. When they finally broke apart, Lily took a minute to look James up and down. He was thinner, definitely, but she only found a few bruises and scrapes on his body.

"Merlin, are you okay?" Lily asked, her voice soft and gentle as she squeezed James's hands.

"'Course I am," James whispered, before pecking his wife on the cheek and pulling away slowly, making sure she agreed to him moving before doing so. They regarded each other fondly for a moment, until Lily caught Sirius's eye.

"How are the flowers looking?" She teased, and Sirius smirked at her, a dead flower between his fingers.

"You really need to water your violets, Red." Sirius held one petal between his thumb and index finger, and it was crushed with the tiniest movement.

Lily shook her head, walking towards Sirius. "Shut up, you twat," she said fondly, and before Sirius had a chance to respond she had wrapped her arms around him tightly, hugging him in much the same way she did James. Sirius hugged her back, resting his chin on her head.

"How's Scarlet been treating you?" Sirius asked when Lily pulled away. Lily laughed, but it quickly turned into an exasperated sigh when she registered what Sirius had called the baby.

"For Merlin's sake, Padfoot. It's a boy." Lily caught James's eye and he smirked at her, stepping over to join them. He placed his hands gently on Lily's stomach.

"Have some respect for Harry, Pads. He gets offended," James joked, and Lily playfully hit his shoulder. James feigned pain for a moment before moving his hand into Lily's.

"Yes, you should be ashamed of yourself." Lily smiled as she squeezed James's hand, relishing the feeling of his warm hand in hers for the first time in months.

"I'm sorry, Scarlet. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me." Sirius sighed, curtsying and looking down at Lily's baby bump. Lily laughed again, and good lord, it was the most beautiful sound James had ever heard, because she was happy and he was happy and they were happy.

"God, Sirius, go back to Ireland," Lily teased, earning a bright smile from Sirius.

"Not quite yet, Red. You're stuck with me for another few months," Sirius informed her, placing his hands on his hips.

"Damn," Lily breathed, then after a moment, "we should get inside, Harry and I are practically freezing." Lily emphasised each letter of her son's name, to make sure Sirius heard it. Sirius checked his watch.

"I should head home." He finished crumpling the flower. "I have a Moony waiting for me."

"Why don't you stay for dinner? It'll be quick," Lily offered, but Sirius declined it with a small shake of his head.

"Nah, Remus will have a heart attack if I'm gone any longer," he shrugged, absentmindedly crumpling another dead flower. "I'll come by soon, though. Promise."

"Fine," Lily sighed. She flicked her wand toward the screen door, unlocking it. "Be careful getting home."

"Will do," Sirius assured, turning to the door. He opened it, but turned back to face the flowers. "Aguamenti," he muttered, his wand aimed at the soil underneath. "Keep these alive, will you?" And with that, he was gone.

Lily turned to James, taking both of his hands in hers once more. She kissed him softly. "Let's get inside, love. I wasn't kidding about us freezing." James nodded his agreement, and they turned to get into the familiar cottage.

It looked exactly the same as it had when he left, except today it was much more welcoming. The table was set with a white table cloth and three plates, and a quick wave of Lily's wand changed the three to two. She gave James a moment to look around the house, smiling when he smiled, watching his eyes light up. Lily squeezed her husband's hand, and he let her lead him to the table.

"Hungry?" Lily asked softly, pulling James out of his thoughts. He shook his head.

"No - wait, yes, I am. Very," James replied, and Lily smiled to herself as she dropped the food she'd spent all day on onto his plate. Both his and Sirius's favorite meal; spaghetti, lots of oregano. And although she found their addition to the classic Italian platter quite disgusting, Lily couldn't help but eat it.

They'd gone through most of dinner in silence, until James finally broke it. "Dumbledore wants us to go back in two months."

I knew you'd fight until the war was won...

Lily's face fell, and her hand automatically went to her stomach. "Oh, darling…"

"I understand if you don't want me to go," James said, cutting her off quickly.

"No, no, of course I want you to go, it's just…" Lily took a moment to hunt for words.

But you deserve a chance to meet your son...

"Just, such a huge risk, love… and…"

Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now...

"You'd miss it. And you can't… I can't let you miss the birth of your son for money." Lily's voice was tight, because she wanted him to go. She wanted to let her brave, hero of a husband do his job, because that was what he loved to do. But she loved him too much to let him risk never meeting his son. To risk her son never meeting his father.

"I know, I know. Fuck, come here…" James pulled his wife into his arms, letting her bury her face in his chest, letting her get her tears out. All of her emotions were coming out at once; happiness, relief, and all of the loneliness she'd been subject to for the last four months. He kissed her hair, her beautiful, fiery hair that he fell in love with when he was eleven.

"I'll stay with you until the very end, if that's what will make you happy."

And that would be enough.