AN: Thanks to those of you who are reviewing! Hopefully this next chapter will answer some more of your questions. Enjoy!

Chapter 3- Family and Friends

May 1980

Lily and Gia sat in the Potter kitchen. Lily was helping Gia study for the NEWTs that were fast approaching. At first Gia only went over once a week, but soon she and Lily became good friends and as Lily's pregnancy had progressed, Gia was able to help her around the house and keep her company when James was at work. Lily worked in the experimental Potions department at St. Mungo's and was forced to take a prolonged maternity leave as they didn't know how some of the chemicals would react with her being pregnant.

"That's great Gia! I can't believe you learned that spell so fast!" Lily said with a happy smile as Gia successfully transfigured a plate into a kitten.

"I've always liked transfiguration." Gia said with a shrug and a bit of a blush.

"Sirius too." Lily said hesitantly. They had never really broached the topic of her marriage to Sirius. Lily only knew that Gia had her own room and was grateful that Sirius had been so receptive to her plan of becoming a healer.

"Oh?" Gia responded with a bit of interest in her voice.

"Yes. You know-" Lily paused before getting up and walking to the fridge. "You should really ask him for help with transfiguration. I mean, I'm ok with it but Sirius did great in that class. And you're way past any help I can give you."

"Lily-"

"I mean of course we could still work on Charms, Herbology, and the rest…" Lily added quickly.

"Lily." Gia interrupted with a smile. Lily turned back with a blush a bit hesitantly. "I know that you probably have this truly romantic idea that Sirius and I should fall in love and be happy. But that's not going to happen."

"Why not?" Lily said with a pout. Gia gave a wry smile.

"Well, I never really expected it in the first place and besides, I think he has a girlfriend." Lily started a bit at the calm tone in which Gia delivered this news.

"But-but doesn't that upset you?" She asked after a brief pause.

"No. Not really." Gia admitted tracing a pattern on the tablecloth with her finger and not really meeting Lily's eyes. "I mean we may be married but I know that it's only because of that stupid contract. I mean get married or die. What kind of psycho thought that up? Oh yeah. My father." She said added somewhat bitterly.

"But how do you know he's got a girlfriend?" Lily added wanting to change the subject from Gia's parents. Gia despised her father and while she loved her mother, she was disappointed in her too, since her mother would never stand up for herself.

"Well he's out almost every night and if her were coming over here, he always asks if I want to come too." Gia looked down at the book while Lily stared at her with her mouth opening and closing. Then a look of realization came over her, which she quickly hid.

"What if it's not a girlfriend?" Lily asked trying to keep her tone even. Gia looked up from her book.

"What else could it be?" She asked and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't think he has a girlfriend." Lily said slowly but with absolute certainty. Gia looked up at her, surprised by Lily's tone.

"Are you sure?" Gia asked quietly.

"I'm sure." Lily said with finality. She was absolutely certain that Sirius was doing work for the Order. She just wished that he would tell Gia about it.

"Oh." She said quickly and a small smile appeared on her lips. Lily held back a smirk of her own. Apparently, Gia wasn't completely immune to Sirius's charms as she liked to believe.

"He's a good guy you know." Lily said finally. She rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little bit of a prat at times, but deep down, he's got a good heart."

"I know that." Gia replied and absently stroked the necklace she always wore that Sirius had given her after their wedding night fiasco. When Gia didn't elaborate, Lily tactfully changed the subject.

"Well let's get back to work. Why don't we start on Herbology. And you can ask Sirius about transfiguration." Lily said and pulled a book out of the pile on the table.

"Yeah, ok." Gia said happy to move away from that subject. Meanwhile, Lily made a mental note to talk to James about that.

OOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOoooooooOOO

Sirius watched Gia bustling around their flat getting things together for his mother's arrival. He frowned at the thought of that old hag coming over but he hadn't really been able to think of a reason- besides his undying hatred of her- to prevent the visit. And his wife had accepted it before he could refuse.

His wife. He still found it somewhat surprising that he was married. He thought back to the conversation he had had with James about her. Apparently, James and Lily had grown quite fond of her over the past few months. Sirius had to admit, he was fond of her too.

She was surprisingly kind for someone who had been raised by such a heartless father and browbeaten mother. She was shy but still friendly and if her fast friendship with Lily was anything to go by, she was no pureblood obsessed psycho. And gorgeous. He would often find himself staring at her lustfully, remembering their one and only night together and practically panting for a repeat. He was always disgusted with himself after that.

But the thing that really struck him about her, was the way she was so grateful and happy for any kindness he showed her. It was like it was totally unexpected. He was partially glad to have made her so happy, but sad at the same time that her father had obviously made her incredibly miserable at home. Her father, his mother. That was what really scared him. That she might be able to understand and love him in a way that no one ever had before. There was a knock on the door that broke him out of his thoughts.

"I'll get it." He said to Gia. She was just finishing up lunch, cooking it the muggle way. One day he had admitted to liking food cooked the muggle way better than the wizard way. He had been pleasantly surprised when a month later Gia had made him a muggle dinner after having taken lessons from Lily. "Hello mother." Sirius greeted opening the door and gesturing her inside. He repressed a shudder and kissed her proffered cheek.

"Well. This is…cozy." Mrs. Black said sniffing distastefully at the tidy apartment. "What's that?" She asked pointing to the television appalled.

"Oh! That's a telly-whasit!" Gia said excitedly coming in to join them. She had just finished putting the food out.

"A what?" Mrs. Black asked coldly and Gia hesitated. She knew that tone well enough.

"A television." Sirius said seeing Gia's unsure look.

"Is that a muggle device?" Mrs. Black said curling her lip in distaste.

"Yes." Gia said gaining confidence as Sirius put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sirius got it for me to entertain me while he's at work. There're these people in it who do the silliest things-"

"I have no interest in muggle devices." Mrs. Black said cutting her off. Gia looked a bit surprised and looked at Sirius a bit uncertainly. He squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Well, I think lunch is ready?" He asked.

"Oh. Yes." Gia smiled a bit hesitantly and Mrs. Black strode imperiously to the table. The other two exchanged a glance before following.

Lunch was a quietly formal affair. Gia attempted conversation, asking Mrs. Black about a portrait she was commissioning, but replied were brief. She looked Sirius to Sirius for guidance but he avoided her gaze and kept his eyes on his plate. Soon, they were finished eating.

"Well. There is a reason I've come." Mrs. Black said briskly as she put her fork down on her plate.

"Oh?" Sirius asked having expected something. She hadn't tried to contact him since the wedding-until this lunch- and he had been wondering why she would now.

"Your cousin Narcissa just had her baby." Mrs. Black said. Gia went to offer her congratulations but was cut off by a wave of the older woman's arm. "Yes, yes. And I wanted to ask when you thought you two would be pregnant." She ignored Gia's blush and Sirius's incredulous look. "If you had a girl, she would be perfect to marry Narcissa's son Draco. And of course, you must have a son at sometime."

"I-uh. I don't think we are quite ready for that." Gia ventured to say while Sirius merely sat at the table with his mouth open gaping at his mother's audacity.

"Well" Mrs. Black's face twisted in disgust. "I suppose that's because of this silly notion of yours to become an apothecary of some such nonsense."

"A healer." Gia said quietly her eyes looking down at her plate. Sirius snapped to attention at her tone. This was obviously an old argument for her.

"Yes, well." Mrs. Black sniffed distastefully. "A woman of you station shouldn't work-"

"She wants to be a Healer. She'll be a Healer." Sirius broke in before mother could continue on. Mrs. Black looked at him in disgust.

"Well, maybe if you moved to a proper residence, the girl wouldn't feel like she had to work." Mrs. Black said her voice beginning to rise.

"Where would that be exactly?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"Grimmauld place of course." She said impatiently. Sirius gave a bitter laugh.

"Did you forget that I ran away from there when I was 16? Or that you blasted me off the family tree?" Sirius asked in a cold voice. "We'll never live in that house."

"I thought that your marriage meant you were willing to put that all behind you. That you would accept your proper place in society. With your brother gone-"

"Nothing about me has changed!" Sirius burst out. "I still believe the same things I did before! And what's more, she doesn't believe the garbage that you're spouting either!"

"You'll never be proper purebloods! Living in this muggle place and associating with mudbloods! It's a mockery to even have her sit her NEWTs!"

"Get out!" Sirius roared. "Don't you dare make her feel bad about wanting something benevolent like being a Healer!"

"How dare you speak to me like that!"

"Oh, I dare!" He returned. "Now get out!" Mrs. Black looked enraged.

"I thought that you had come back to take your proper place in society. Clearly I was mistaken."

"Clearly." Sirius sneered back at her.

"Blood traitors! Both of you are dirty blood traitors! Shame of my flesh!" She yelled practically hysterical before leaving the flat in a fury. Sirius slammed the door after her and cursed a few times, kicking the closed door to vent some of his anger. He went into the other room to where Gia still sat in shock.

"Thank-you for defending me." She said quietly without looking up. He sighed and sat next to her at the table.

"Don't listen to that old cow." He said after a moment and eventually reached out his hand and covered one of hers.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was stupid. But you're so kind and I just didn't expect her…" Gia trailed off.

"Like you father?" Sirius asked quietly. She nodded in response still looking down, but he still saw the tears in her eyes.

"Gia." Sirius sighed and got up tugging her with him and quickly enveloping her into a hug. "Look, you don't have to worry about her anymore." He tentatively kissed the top of her head. "Are you happy here with me?" She nodded and he felt relief sweep over him. "Then don't let her bother you."

"Ok." She said and pulled away slightly to look at him. "You know, you're a really good husband." She said shyly. He looked at her for a moment in surprise and before anything else could be said he kissed her.

"Sorry." Sirius said pulling back slightly shocked with himself. He was even more surprised when Gia leaned up and kissed him again tentatively. He quickly moved to deepen the kiss, cursing himself but unable to stop. "Stay with me tonight." He practically begged. She nodded looking serious. Sirius grinned at her and picked her up and carried her to his room. They laughed a bit and as Sirius went to undo her robes, Gia went to unclasp her necklace. He stopped her.

"I want to make sure...I know that it's…" He trailed off unable to finish. Gia stopped trying to undo the clasp and leaned up to kiss him.

"It's ok. I'm really here." She said in a low voice. He gave her a slightly embarrassed smile, but soon all awkwardness between them was gone.

OOOOOOOOooooOOOOOooooOOOOoooooOO

The next morning Sirius awoke with a start. He looked down to see Gia still asleep in his arms, although her eyes were fluttering a way that he knew meant she was going to wake up soon. For some reason he felt inexplicably nervous. She looked up at him and blushed.

"Morning." Gia said looking up at Sirius groggily.

"Morning." He responded and she frowned slightly. Sirius for once couldn't think of anything to say. "Er-"

"Breakfast?" Gia blurted out, searching for some sort of familiarity. Sirius breathed out the breath he'd been holding slowly.

"Sure." And they quickly separated from each other. Gia went to her room to get dressed and Sirius did the same in his own room. When Sirius emerged from the bathroom, he paused for a moment watching her frying an egg for him and getting some bacon from the fridge. He was suddenly struck by a low fluttery feeling in his stomach. Then he panicked. He didn't- he couldn't…

"I've got to go to see James." Sirius said abruptly. Gia jumped a bit surprised at his appearance and disappointed at his words.

"Oh." She said looking down at the table to try to hide her disappointment. "Ok." When she looked up the next moment, Sirius was already gone.

"Prongs! Open up! Prongs!" Sirius said pounding on James' door. After a bit a disheveled, sleepy James opened the door.

"Padfoot? What are you doing here?" James asked with a yawn. Sirius burst in the house as soon as the door was opened. "Come in." James said sarcastically. Sirius began to pace the living room.

"I don't know what to do." He said abruptly stopping and looking at James.

"About what?" James asked sinking to the couch, still not fully awake.

"Gia." Sirius said briskly and resumed pacing. James sat up and groaned.

"What happened?" He asked and Sirius stopped pacing and looked at James with a slight blush.

"We may have…er- slept together." Sirius admitted.

"And?" James asked suddenly feeling more awake.

"And what?"

"And what happened after?" James asked exasperated.

"Well, I came over here." Sirius said not quite meeting his best friend's eyes.

"You mean you just left?" James asked incredulously.

"I told her I was coming over here." He replied defensively.

"Why'd you leave though?" James asked and slumped back onto the couch not understanding how his friend's mind worked.

"I don't know." Sirius said and collapsed next to James on the couch. "I just- she was making breakfast and I had this fluttery feeling in my stomach watching her and…I can't explain it really. I just knew that I had to leave."

"You have feelings for her!" James exclaimed.

"I guess." Sirius muttered.

"No, no. Padfoot, do you care about her? I mean the same way that I do about Lily?" Sirius rubbed his face with his hands.

"I do." He said after a long pause. James thumped him on the shoulder.

"Then you have to go back there! Apologize to her! Tell her what you just told me!" Sirius looked at his friend and couldn't help but smile. James Potter had to be the only man in the world who was that open with his emotions. Sirius looked back at his hands.

"I can't."

"What? Why not?" James asked trying to swallow his frustrations.

"I'm afraid she doesn't feel the same way." He said not able to meet James' eyes after such an admission.

"Padfoot, if you don't go back there you'll ruin everything." James said sincerely.

"Yeah." Sirius replied still not moving from his spot.

"Be brave!" James said impatiently and Sirius gave a half smile.

"A true Gryffindor?" Sirius said standing up and James nodded. "Thanks mate." And with that Sirius left the Potter house for the apparition point so that he could apparate back to his flat.

When he got home, it was quiet. The breakfast dishes were haphazardly stacked in the sink and the carton of eggs was still sitting out on the counter. Sirius walked around the apartment for a bit unsure of where Gia could be. Then his eyes fell on her bedroom door. He knocked on it quietly.

"Yes?" She called and he cracked open the door sticking his head in the room. He saw her on the bed with a tearstained face. "Sirius." She said somewhat surprised and began to wipe at her eyes. He quickly strode over to the bed and ignoring the surprised look that she gave him, took her in his arms and wiped the tears from her face himself.

"I'm sorry. I'm a complete idiot. I should never have left." He said after they had sat staring at each other in silence for a moment.

"Why did you?" She asked breaking eye contact.

"Because, I- just…I don't know." He said and gave her a rueful look. She studied his face for a moment and Sirius hoped that whatever she was looking for she'd find. Eventually she gave him a small smile and he leaned in to give her a soft kiss. "Breakfast?"

"Sure." Gia said and moved to get up but Sirius tightened his grip. "Sirius I have to get up if I'm going to get breakfast."

"No. I'll get breakfast." He grinned at her. "You just stay here and I'll bring it in to you." She looked a bit hesitant and he brushed back some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He hand lingered on her cheek for a moment. "I really am sorry. I was a total prat. But please, Gia, let me make it up to you. At least a little bit." He held his breath and she nodded. The he grinned at her and kissed her quickly before bounding out of the room to make them breakfast. The food wasn't that good, but neither of them could remember having that much fun at breakfast that morning than they did sitting on the bed chatting with a tray of runny eggs between them.

OOOO

Keep the reviews coming!