A/N: First the standard message of I don't own the Harry Potter characters, I just like to borrow them to do my biding for awhile. Nor do I make any money off of this.

Second, this is a prologue piece to my story, Prisoner of Circumstances, which is already being written. This just happens to explain the background of that story better, although, it is not entirely necessary and this can stand alone as its own story. So cheers!

"Lily, I'm home!" James called after he flooed into the house. He found her sitting at the kitchen table, working on some kind of batter. Lily looked up and smiled as she saw her scruffy haired husband walk inside.

"So how did your meeting with Dumbledore go?" she asked as she poured her batter into a pan.

James shifted and looked uncomfortable, "Well, the meeting went okay, but he's asked me to go on a mission for about a week."

Lily's normal carefree face filled with concern. "What do you need to do? When do you have to leave? Are you going alone? How-…"

James held up a hand to stop the barrage of questions. "Unfortunately Albus had made me promise not to speak of the mission's undertakings. I can tell you that I need to leave on Friday and while I am not going alone, I can't tell you who is coming with me."

"Friday?! But what about Saturday night??" Her jaw muscles tightened visibly.

He grimaced a bit, "I tried to tell Albus, but without being able to expose Prongs, I couldn't change his mind. Remus will still need to use our basement to transform- his cottage just can't take his brute force. Will you be alright?"
She certainly wasn't happy, but she understood it was necessary. "What about Sirius? He'll still come as usual, right?" James frowned. "What?! No! Me left alone here with a werewolf with no one to keep him in control??"

A soft sigh escaped before he could stop it, "Albus has Sirius going on a mission at the same time as well, although, he'll be back by late Sunday."

The blood left her face as it sunk in- she was going to be alone with a werewolf, and the only people who could help him were being sent away. "I …I don't have to do anything, right? He'll be okay by himself?"

"While he's in wolf form, no; however, once he's Remus again, I'm sure he could do with some friendly assistance to help clean up his wounds and get him to bed. I'll also charm the door to stay shut while he's transformed so there will be no risk of him figuring out a door handle."

Finally she conceded, knowing that it was far better to have him here contained rather than held in by an inferior cage. "I still don't like this at all, but he really doesn't have any other options."

James pulled her over and have her a kiss, "Thank you honey, I really appreciate that you're willing to do this."

A light growl from James' stomach reminded them that dinner was in order. It was a simple affair that consisted of roast chicken, potatoes, and green beans, with a chocolate cake for dessert. After dinner, James helped clean up the mess before grabbing Lily and carrying her upstairs to the bedroom.

He set her down on the bed and slid next to her, running a hand softly across her face. "My beautiful Lily…" A kiss was planted on her face and slowly ran his hand down her front to her breast.

She pulled back from his touch, "I'm sorry….I…just can't. My mind is elsewhere."

He sighed heavily, but respected her wishes, "It's alright my fire flower, but would you say no to snuggling before bed?"

She laughed lightly. "Now that I won't say no to," and was wrapped tightly in his arms.

Before the couple knew it, Friday was upon them and the inevitable day drew near. Lily woke up that day with a sense of dread. The daily routine followed the norm, even after James left, but she still couldn't shake that feeling. Later that afternoon, a head appeared in her fireplace.

"Hi Lily, I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time," the soft spoken mad said with a pleasant smile.

She turned around to find Remus' face in the flames, "Oh, hi Remus. No, I'm not in the middle of anything," her smile almost faltering.

"I was wondering if it would be possible for me to come over today. It's always so hard to travel through the Floo on the day of the moon."

It made sense; less stress on the body would lead to a smoother recovery afterwards. Besides, she wasn't afraid of Remus himself. "Certainly, would you like to come over now? Even though James only left this morning, I'm already rather lonely."

"Then I shall be on my way as soon as I gather a few things," he chuckled and broke the connection.

A short while later the fireplace flared to life and Remus tumbled out, complete with soot covering. "Well hello there Lily-Flower," he greeted cheerfully, although Lily could already see the circles under his eyes.

"Good to see you too, Remus- and you're in luck! I'm just about done making dinner. I hope you're in the mood for steaks," she said, watching his mouth start to salivate a bit.

"That…would be wonderful," he mumbled gratefully.

They headed to the kitchen and Lily finished grilling the steaks and pulled out the roasting potatoes from the oven. The smell drifted towards Remus, returning a bit of his appetite. He was grateful for the good friends he made throughout his time at Hogwarts. The time surrounding the fill moon was always hard on him, but having Lily be with him right now was such a help.

"Okay Twigboy, now how about you actually eat something for a change?" she chuckled as she put the food on the table.

Remus grinned at the use of the nickname she had affectionately given him years ago. "But you know I have to eat enough for two! It's not my fault that the wolf has a fast metabolism!"

"Excuses, excuses! Now do us a favor and make that steak disappear like a good little puppy."

"Hmph! I'm no puppy! Besides, even if I was that young, I'd be a Pup, not a puppy. Although…sometimes I do wonder about Sirius…" he smiled ruthfully.

Lily shook her head and just laughed at his antics. "Whatever you say, furball. Let's finish up- I'm suddenly in the mood for a game of chess. Especially against a worth adversary. Nothing against James, but he is a lousy chess player."

Remus chuckled and took a bite of his steak, "Anything you say Lily, anything you say."

The next day came all too quickly and soon found the sun pouring through the windows. Lily blinked out the last dredges of sleep from her eyes before stretching. She and Remus had spent a lovely night playing chess and then sharing a bottle of wine- it was rare that the two had the chance to spend time alone together. They decided to make the effort in the future, even if it was just a chance to play against a worthy opponent for a change.

A short while later, the smell of coffee drifted through the air, and before long, the scruffy looking man shuffled into the kitchen. His eyes were tired and she could see he hadn't slept well.

"Morning Remus, can I get you anything?" she asked, giving him a smile and trying to make him feel at least a little better at the moment.

A bleary look was the response and a soft mumble of 'coffee only' proved to be the most animation he showed all morning. He sipped idly at his mug, lost in through about the night. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was terrified of the moon tonight. It would be his first time without the aid of his friends. Ever since that first time after the Marauders completed their Animagus transformations, he'd always had at least one of them by his side.

He slowly moved over to the couch in the living room and flopped down, trying to ignore the protests from his aching joints. The werewolf picked up his copy of a recent defensive spell journal, but couldn't keep himself focused on the content. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't help feeling that something would go wrong.

"Remus?"

A soft voice broke the silence.

"Remus, are you okay? I've been trying to get your attention for the last few minutes."

He shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. Apparently he'd been more out of it than he realized. "Sorry Lils, I guess I zoned out there for a bit."

She chuckled, "You were out of it a bit longer than you thought- It's already time for lunch. And no telling me you're not hungry. You already missed breakfast and I know you're not going to eat dinner."

Remus forced a smile on his face and accepted the plate of sandwiches she brought, along with a glass of pumpkin juice. He made an honest attempt, but his stomach just couldn't handle it.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, "Why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you when it's time to go downstairs."

He nodded gratefully before drifting off on the couch. Nightmares of hurting his friends were prevalent while he slept. It certainly wasn't a restful nap, that's for sure. Although, the horrid images began to dissipate, but not before he thought Lily ran a comforting hand on his cheek.

At this point, Lily moved from the couch towards the kitchen, intent on locating a bar of chocolate for the man, so he could feed his chocolate addiction. Even if he refused all forms of food today, he would still never pass up the opportunity to scarf down some chocolate.

It took a bit, but she managed to locate a bar of his favorite variety- milk chocolate with a mint filling, as well as preparing a mug of hot cocoa. As she checked the time, she did a double-take, realizing she needed to get Remus downstairs now!

She shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him out of his fitful slumber, "C'mon Remus! You need to wake up now! You've only got a few minutes before you transform."

He blinked groggily before slowly trying to lift himself off the couch. While his brain recognized the need for urgency, his body refused to cooperate. Lily supported him as best she could, especially down the stairs. Thankfully they made it down without too many hesitations and got him settled on his usual pile of blankets he used rather than the bare floor. Once he was comfortable, Lily handed him the mug and bar of chocolate.

"Here, it's not much, but hopefully it will be at least a little comfort until moon rise," she gave him a small smile. "I'd better get back up stairs. You'll be alright, I know it."

"Thank you Lily, I don't know what I'd do without you and James each month," he told her honestly.

With that, Lily headed up the stairs- only to find that the door was locked. She panicked and started shooting every time of spell she knew, but it remained firmly shut.

"JAMES!!! YOU IDIOT!!!!" she screeched, blood rushing out of her face.

Remus looked up, startled, "Lily! What's the matter?"

She turned around slowly, shaking as she walked back down. "J-james apparently didn't plan on me coming down to make sure you were settled. He must have charmed the door to instantly lock the moment you came down here."

Remus looked at her in horror, his face already breaking into a heavy sheen. "Can't you unto it?" His voice clearly trembling.

Tears rolled down her face, "No, he used a time lock spell. It can't be lifted until the sun rises."

Remus curled up in a ball, breathing heavy with the news and the onset of his transformation. Tears poured from his eyes as he repeatedly apologized. Spikes of pain coursed through his body as his bones began to reform.

Lily didn't know what to do- the room was fool proof against escape of any sort. Her breathing quickly became more and more rapid, sending her into a panic attack as she watched the form of her friend painfully shift into that of a wolf with light brown fur flecked with grey.

Almost at once Moony locked his gaze on her and slowly stalked towards her. Lily could feel his breath on her skin and she knew she would die any second….

Until a sudden 'pop!' filled the room and a startled red furred wolf bitch took the place where Lily had been.

Moon blinked and backed up, confused as to where his prey disappeared to. Cautiously, he sniffed the other wolf, trying to determine whether it was friend or foe.

Lily, on the other hand-err, paw, was trying to make sense of what happened. The only thing that it could be was that some how she managed to become an Animagus by accidental magic and sheer luck. But, while she wasn't human now, that didn't mean that Moony would accept her.

On instinct, she dropped to the floor and rolled on to her back, exposing her belly in a sign of submission. Moony walked over and sniffed, satisfied that she wasn't a threat. He did, however, notice something that would change the lives of all of them.

Lily was in season.

Moony nuzzled her head, ensuring her that he saw her as a friend, not a threat. Lily stood up, albeit a mite unsteadily from the unfamiliar form. She took a few steps, accustoming herself to having four legs, before looking back at Moony. She noticed a strange look in his eye as he moved towards her and couldn't figure it out- that is, until she felt his tongue run across a very private area.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks- Moony would have his way with her, like it or not. All the sudden she felt a weight on her back, and the room fading into nothing….

Remus woke the next morning, shifting himself on his aching joints, dreading the sight that he surely would see. But he saw no blood. Confused, he got up as fast as his sore body would allow and tried to figure out what happened. That's when he saw the ball of red fur tucked away in a corner. He could only surmise that somehow Lily had become an Animagus under duress.

"Lily, c'mon wake up. I need to know you're okay," he pleaded hoarsely, gently shaking her. The ball of fur slowly uncurled, growling for a moment until she realized where she was. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to find you alive," he whispered, gathering her into his arms and breaking down into her fur.

Lily blinked back the sleepiness from her eyes and the memories of last night came rushing back to her, both the good and the bad. She was alive, she still couldn't believe that. She also remembered what else happened, but logically she knew that she couldn't blame Remus for what happened between them last night. All she could think about was that she was alive.

Remus sat there for a few more minutes, gently stroking her fur, lost in thought. When he finally came back to the land of the living, he realized that Lily still was a wolf. "Lily, I'm going to assume you became an Animagus out of fear last night, and were not previously one?" She nodded. "And I assume you do not know how to change back?" Another nod. "Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for Sirius to return so he can explain how to revert."

He stood back up, desperately trying to keep his balance as he staggered up the stairs. Lily followed, but really couldn't be of much assistance. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Remus made it to the bed and collapsed, knowing that sleep would provide the best medicine. Lily glanced over him, taking note that he didn't have any wounds, and curled up on the bed by his feet, darkness quickly overtaking her as well.

"Time to wakey, wakey, Sunshine!" A voice came, jolting both man and wolf from their slumber. "C'mon Remus, I told James I'd stop by after I finished and check on you two."

Remus yawned and pitifully attempted to swat away the source of noise. After a moment, he regained enough consciousness to remember the situation. "Hello Sirius. Glad to see you're back safely," he croaked, his voice still raw. "You need to help Lily. She-"

"Lily! What happened? Where is she?!" his grey eyes wide with panic.

The sandy brown haired man chuckled and held up a hand to stop the onslaught of questions, "Lily is well, she's umm…." He trailed off and pointed to the red wolf.

Sirius' eyes went wide then started to laugh. "Oh James is going to love this! And here he thought his Lily would be a doe! Alright, that aside, how did the brightest witch of our age trap herself as a wolf?"

Remus sighed and relayed the events from the night before, making Sirius curse James for his carelessness with the spell.

"Why would he even think that Lily wouldn't enter the basement until the next morning?! Lily cares too much for others to leave them in a time of need!" He paced back and forth a bit, trying to wrap his brain around the situation. "Ok, ok, Remus, you go on back to sleep. I'll work with wonder mutt over here and see if we can't turn her human before James gets back."

"Why don't you just use the reversal spell?" Remus asked, looking at Sirius as if he were an idiot.

"I could, but I think it would be better to give Lily a crash course on Animagus transformations incase she does this again."

Lily nodded her approval and followed Sirius out the door, leaving Remus to drift off to sleep. It didn't take long for Lily to transform back to her normal self thankfully, although, she couldn't became the wolf again at will. It was after all, a fluke that it happened in the first place. But knowing James, it wouldn't be long before he taught his wife how to master the transformation.

With that, Sirius bid her goodnight and flooed home, leaving Lily alone with her thought. She really didn't know what to think- she knew that Remus couldn't be blamed for what happened, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with it. She couldn't tell him thought- it would destroy him knowing what he'd done. Sighing, she also realized it would be best to keep this from James as well, knowing is irrationality rivaled Sirius' at times. What happened, happened and the past would stay where it belonged- in the past.

That is…until a month later.

James returned from his mission the following week leaving Lily overjoyed at having him back home where he belonged. She gave him an earful on the carelessness of his actions, but left it at that, not wanting to get into the other events. Although, true to their thoughts, James had Lily already training to master her form, which he affectionately called 'Spitfire.'

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until that fateful morning Lily woke to nausea and rushed to the loo. James came walking in a moment later and rubbed her back, asking if she needed to see a healer. She told him it was nothing, but as she almost collapsed when standing up, he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"James, honestly, it's nothing!" she tried to protest, but her pale face told him otherwise. Before she had time to blink, James picked her up and flooed to Madam Pomfrey.

The healer shooed James away, telling him it was most likely nothing serious and she'd fetch him when she was done. She waved the wand above Lily and cast the diagnosis spell and a smile appeared on her face.

"Well, congratulations, Mummy!" she teased, eliciting a gasp from Lily.

"Seriously?!"

"Of course my dear. I'd never joke about something like this. I'll leave you to tell James the news yourself. By the way, you are exactly one month along as of today!"

Lily instantly paled as the date sank in- James hadn't been there, leaving only one other possible person: Remus. She nodded to Poppy's instructions, but not really hearing them; she was trying to figure out a way to break the news to her husband.

"Come on James, let's head home and I'll tell you what's wrong. Poppy got called away as some foolish first year ran into a cauldron down in the potions lab."

James followed, but was confused- why couldn't Lily just tell him here? At any rate, the pair headed home. Lunch ended up being prepared by James…meaning charred grilled cheese and lukewarm tomato soup. He set it down and tried patiently to wait for Lily to fell him the news.

Lily picked at her food, not particularly hungry, but trying to make an effort for James' sake. She sighed heavily, "Okay, before I tell you what Poppy told me, I need to tell you something else that happened when you were gone that full moon."

James couldn't help but stiffen, unsure of where this was heading.

"before I go on, I want you to know, I don't blame Remus for what happened- I know he has no control over Moony. Yes, I did end up having to stay in the basement that night as Spitfire, but what I didn't tell you is that apparently my inner wolf was in heat. Both of us were powerless to stop it…James, I'm pregnant." Tears spilled down her face, terrified to meet the eyes of her husband. What he did surprised her. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly and wiped away her tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I hadn't gotten pregnant, can you honestly tell me you would have wanted to know?"

He hung his head, "I suppose you're right. I guess the question now is what are we going to do? Do we tell Remus about this? I assume he has no idea this happened since he hasn't been here begging forgiveness."

Lily shook her head no, "I couldn't do that to him. He was already so broken up with me getting locked down there to add that to the list. But I never imagined I could get pregnant from the incident. But I really don't know what we should do….if it would be more cruel to tell Remus and explain what happened, or leave him unaware."

James breathed deep, trying to clear his head. "Do you know if there are any complications that might arise from Remus' furry little problem and his offspring?"

The blood drained quickly from her face again, "I don't know, there really isn't exactly anything written about born werewolves compared to those bitten. But if we ask him, he's bound to suspect something."

"Perhaps not…" he mentioned thoughtfully. "Trust a Marauder with this task." He hugged her again before Apparating over to Remus' cottage, knowing it would be best just to put worries at ease for her quickly as possible.

Lily paced back and forth, worried at either James bringing back bad news, or making Remus suspicious of what was going on in the first place.

A resounding 'crack!' came a few hours later and James was back in the kitchen. He smelled a wonderful aroma of roasting pork and knew Lily had out done herself in the kitchen again.

"You're back! What happened? Does he know? Will the baby be okay?"

So like Lily, he thought. "Calm down love. No, he doesn't suspect anything, although, I wouldn't mentioned the idea of girlfriends anytime soon if I were you. He said that while it's rare, a normal child can come as a result of a werewolf parent. However, more than likely, the child would also have the werewolf virus. Interestingly enough though, he mentioned that while the child may be born with the virus, it wouldn't take hold until the child reached the age of thirteen."

"So….we have time to figure out what to do?"

This wasn't a question James wanted to answer, but knew it was necessary. "Lily, we need to either tell Remus or disguise the child at birth. There's no way the kid could look anything like me seeing as Remus and I look nothing alike."

"I guess we have some planning to do in the upcoming months…"

James pulled her closer and gave her a squeeze, "Don't worry my Fire Flower. We'll figure this out- together."

A/N: So, if you enjoyed it, go ahead and leave me a review, because I do ever so much like reading what people think of my work and look for Prisoner of Circumstances shortly. :)