Challenge: Romance Awareness

Prompt: There's a timer on your wrist that counts down to the moment you meet your soulmate.

Extra Prompt: Single Parent AU

Word Count: 936

Second Soulmate?

James clutched his wife's hand tightly. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at her. She was fading quickly and he was absolutely powerless to do anything about it.

She would never meet their beautiful baby boy and hold him in her arms.

She would never see his first steps or hear his first words.

She would never wave goodbye to him on his first day of school and cry as she always predicted she would throughout her pregnancy.

She would never see him grow into a handsome young man (after all, how could he not with a father like him?). Nor would she see him meet his soulmate, get married and have children of his own.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

"It's not fair!" James yelled, jumping to his and pushing the emergency button by his wife's bed.

In a matter of seconds he was being ushered out of the room by a nurse whilst a team of doctor's worked to resuscitate his wife.

James watched through the window as the doctor shook his head and looked at the clock. Unable to watch anymore, James turned from the window and sank to the floor.

His soulmate was dead. They had only had a few precious years together and now she had been taken from him. He would never know love again.

Thinking of his wife, James turned over his arm as he thought about the first moment they met and the counter on his wrist had reached zero. She had been a vision in blue with the wind blowing in her hair as she walked her dog.

James opened his eyes, smiling at the memory he would share with his son—it was a good memory and one his son should know.

He glanced down at his arm where his counter had disappeared just over three years ago. His eyes widened at the writing on his wrist.

4 years, 1 month, 5 days, 30 minutes, 58 seconds.

The number decreased with every second that passed.

How was it possible to have another soulmate?

It seemed so strange when he hadn't even had the chance to start properly grieving for his wife who had passed only a matter of minutes ago.

~o~o~o~

Over the next four years James did everything he could to ignore the new counter on his wrist and keep the memory of his late wife alive. He kept it permanently covered to avoid even thinking about this stranger.

Every night he told his son stories about her and the time they had shared together. It seemed so impossible that he had spent more time without her than he had with her.

"Daddy, can I have one more story?" his son asked as James rose to his feet.

"Not tonight, Henry. It's your first day of school tomorrow," James replied. "I'll tell you another story in the morning if there's time."

Henry pouted but nodded his head as he snuggled into bed. "Okay. Night, Daddy."

"Goodnight, son," James replied, kissing his son on the forehead before making his way towards the door and turning out the light.

~o~o~o~

"Henry Monty Potter," James called from the bottom of the stairs. "Hurry up; we're going to be late."

A few moments later excited footsteps came thundering down the stairs.

"Come on, buddy, let's get your shoes on," James said, picking his son and carrying him to the living room.

As James put Henry's shoes on, his son started to fiddle with the bandage on his arm. "Daddy, what's that?"

James lifted his head and looked at where his son was pointing—his wrist where the counter now read:

30 minutes, 5 seconds.

"Nothing to worry about," James rushed out, covering it back up and picking up Henry's coat. "Coat on, pal."

As they walked to school, James tried to process how close he was to meeting his new soulmate. Was he ready? He had spent so long making sure he never forgot his son's mother that he hadn't realised he had stopped grieving for her. Sure, he loved her and thought about her daily, but it was forced for Henry's sake. There were days when, if it wasn't for Henry, she wouldn't have crossed his mind.

Maybe he was ready to move on.

Deciding it was time to remove the bandage, James took it off and glanced at the tracker just as they reached his son's school.

5 minutes.

James stared at the playground full of children. The older ones happy and running freely, and the younger one clinging nervously to their mothers. James wondered if one of them could be his soulmate—at least there would be a chance they would be in the same boat.

He pulled open the gate and walked onto the yard with his son to the point where the parents and children had gathered to meet their children's new teacher.

As a beautiful redhead ran down the school steps, James felt his wrist begin to burn as she approached—it was a feeling he remembered, only this time it was more intense.

"Good morning, I'm Miss Evans, and I am going to be your children's teacher for the year," she said, greeting them all as a group. "Now before I take your children inside, I would like to take the opportunity to greet you all properly."

James watched his counter as it moved from minutes to seconds as Miss Evans moved closer to him.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans," she whispered, holding her hand out to him.

"James Potter," he replied, taking Lily's hand as his counter hit zero. "And I think we might be soulmates."