:: Chapter Eleven ::
Downfall of Love
Little One

AN: Er, sorry if I confused some of you last chapter. The first paragraph or so was the present, the rest was the past. So, to bring us up to speed, Remus knows about Lily's deal with Voldemort, and James and Lily are getting married.
In this chapter, again, the first paragraph or so is the present (continuing on from where the last chapter left off), the rest is a flash back. Why am I writing my chapters like this now? Don't know, seemd like a good idea. :P

Lily pulled away from Remus and Sirius with a small cry of pain. She crumbled to the floor and clutched her abdomen.
"Lily! What's the matter?!" Remus exclaimed, falling to his knees beside her.
"I think…oh OW!…contractions…" she gritted out between her teeth.
"NOW!?!"
"YES NOW!"
Remus wrung his hands in worry. Sirius gave them both a curious look.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"She's in labor you idiot!!"
"Oh…OH MY GOD! Make it stop!"
Remus growled at his lover.
"You can't make it stop you moron! Now stop standing there like a queer and GO_GET_JAMES!"
"Er, right!"
He raced to the door, tripped over the hall rug, and fell face first into the wall, before gathering his wits enough to trample down the stairs calling loudly for James.
"I love him…" Remus trailed off, shaking his head. Lily clutched his hand and took short breaths as the pain subsided.
"Better?" he asked, and she nodded, bursting into tears.
"I'm such an idiot Remy-chan! I…I'm ruining our wedding, and…what if…what if…OH GOD WHAT IF!" she cried, falling into his arms. He sighed, and patted her back comfortingly.
"Don't worry," he said, "we'll protect you. Voldemort will never have your baby."

"Remus…please, look at me."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"I can't bring myself to look into the face of someone who betrayed me."
Lily looked down at her hands. Tears pooled in her eyes. She looked back up at him again.
"How did I betray you?"
"Don't you see it Lily?!? I'm a WEREWOLF!!"
"Yeah, I know that."
Remus launched himself onto the bed in one growl of anger and leveled their noses together.
"Guilty by association." He hissed, and Lily's eyes widened in understanding.
"But…you…I never meant for you-"
"Of course you didn't." he spat, and leapt from the bed, stalking to the door and slamming it shut behind him.
Lily heard dishes shatter outside the door. Her breath caught in her throat.
Had James heard?
"Jeez love, what's got your knickers in such a knot?" Sirius muffled voice sounded from behind the door.
"None of your damned business!" she heard Remus snap.
"Oh, ok. Sorry."
The door opened and Sirius entered, caring a tray full of broken dishes. If he'd had a tail, Lily was sure it would be tucked between his legs.
He pulled out his want and muttered Reparo! as he tapped the dishes a few times. The glass repaired itself instantly.
He placed it across her lap.
"Your dinner milady."
She giggled, and he smiled at her as he sat next to her. She took a big bite of the sandwich, surprised by her sudden hunger. She began to chew, but stopped as she bit into something crunchy.
She sent Sirius a curious look as she pulled a piece of glass out from between her lips. He shrugged.
"Never was very good at that charm."
"Obviously."
"So…"
"So?"
Sirius played with a stray strand of her hair.
"So…why's my Remus so upset?"
Lily squirmed beside him.
"Don't know," she struggled to keep her voice even, "why don't you go ask him?"
Sirius yanked up the sleeve of her sweater, baring the Dark Mark on her forearm. His eyes flashed dangerously.
"You fucking bitch!"
"Sirius, please-"
"SHUT UP!" he roared, grabbing the tray and throwing it across the room. She shrank away from him.
"I warned you didn't I?! Did I tell you that if you hurt James I'd-"
"I DID IT FOR HIM!" Lily screamed at him. Sirius started.
"You think I'm in such a hurry to betray him again, but I'm not! I LOVE him, do you understand that? I had to do this to SAVE him!"
"You made a deal with an insane dark wizard, he'll kill James anyway!"
"Maybe so," Lily said softly, "but if I could save him, even if just for a short time, I'd do it. I'd die for him."
"Would you?" Sirius snapped.
"How can you even ask that?! Look at my arm Sirius! I sold my child to that bastard! You heard me telling Remus! I had to choose between him or MY CHILD, do you think that was easy for me?"
"You should have chosen OUR child T.L., I'm not worth it."
They looked to the doorway to find James leaning against its frame.
Lily's hands flew to her mouth and gasped.
"James!" she cried, tears filling her large emerald eyes.
He straightened himself and walked toward her. Lily bowed her head in shame, but James' strong hand grabbed her shin and forced her to look at him.
"You listen to me," he said evenly, "I'm sick of these secretes, I'm sick of being the last one to find out and I'm sick of seeing you hurt. The next time you have a problem, of any sort, which involves me, you come straight TO ME about it. I'm not worth it."
"But you are!"
James pressed a finger to her lips.
"No, I'm not. Why you chose to love me Lily I'll never know, but…I want you to know that I'll always love you, and I'll always stand by you. No matter what kind of trouble you get into, or," he put their foreheads together, "whether it's your fault or not."
Sirius exited the room after that, letting them have the time alone they seemed to desperately need. He sighed and ran a hand threw his hair as he marched down the stairs of the Potter house. He cursed himself for losing his temper, but…he loved James so much. His heart positively ached when James' did; he felt everything that his best friend did.
Hmm, best friend.
He found himself outside and looked up at the stars.
Best friend indeed, he thought miserably. Truth be told, he loved James, would lay down his very life for him without a second thought.
If it wasn't for Remus…or Lily…he didn't know how things would have turned out. James was his first crush, his first kiss…James was his world.
"He was," Sirius whispered to himself, "but now…now I think it's time that I really let go. Yes, that would be best."
The wind picked up and tousled his long black hair into his midnight blue eyes. He buried his face in his hands and shook it to clear up his sidetracked mind, and turned to walk back into the house. Moonlight spilled onto the spot that he had stood at, and a figure stepped from the shadows as the door closed with a sharp snap.
A smirk graced the figure's pudgy face, and then they where gone.

(AN - Okies, enough with the flash backs, I'm done. :D Basically, this is where everything starts to fall apart. Just remember one thing as you read - love is what binds the Marauders and Lily together. :P)

"I WANT IT DAMNIT!!!"
Sweat poured down Lily's face as she tried her hardest not to push yet. Her face contorted in pain and she let out a silent scream, clutching Remus' hand tightly.
"GIVE HER THE DRUGS! GIVE HER THE DRUGS!" Remus shouted frantically.
"You are going to have to calm down sir!" squeaked a nurse from beside him.
"You're too far along Lily; you can't have them now. Calm down, breath with me…"
"There is a CHILD the size a WATERMELLON trying to come out from a HOLE THE SIZE OF MY INDEX FINGER!! *YOU* CALM DOWN!!" Lily roared falling back against her pillows as a particularly hard contraction hit her.
Remus gripped her hand tightly, and she let her eyes speak her gratitude to him. James, who had fainted after the realization hit him that he'd have a child, was resting in a separate room.
"Ok, time to push." The doctor said, and Lily gritted her teeth and pushed with all her might.
Remus brushed back the bangs from her sweaty face, softly encouraging her. The pain was terrible, and all she wanted was for it to be over. She pushed one last time with the last bit of her energy.
"Ah-"
"WHAAA!!!"
"It's a girl!!" the doctor cried.
He clipped the umbilical cord, cleaned her off, and handed her over to Lily. She looked down at the new born in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Hello little one," she said as one tiny hand wrapped around her finger.

The baby's blue eyes focused on Lily, and Lily felt her heart melt.
Remus sat beside her, hospital gown discarded, and kissed the top of her fuzzy head. Even now, she had peach fuzz of deep red.
"She's beautiful Lily." Remus whispered.
Lily nodded.
The only thing she could think, the only thing that mattered to her right then was that she was a mother, and she was holding her child.

BOO! AHAHAHAHAAA! Hehe! Ok I'm done. SURPRISE! Bet you all thought it was going to be Harry didn't you? Didn't you?
Yeah, I thought so.
I can't wait to write the next chapter; it's the one you're all waiting for!! You know, when ol' Voldie comes to take Lily's precious baby…
Wheee! So much fun. Can't wait to write that!!! It'll be out as soon as I can get it up!
If this chapter totally SUCKS, forgive me. I was a little stuck. Eh hehe…!
Sorry if I'm hyper today, but I just got the U2 CD The Joshua Tree and I've been DYING to get it so…yeah. :P
Owari!!
PLEASE REVIEW!!
~ Ember

THANK YOUS!!

lunita, thistlemeg, Emily, gigi, Ruby Hime, Chibi-Chingo, Satans Little Princess, Ariana, Chocolatkiss!, Medieval Wizard -- Thanks a lot you guys! To everyone who keeps reviewing every chapter (you know who you are!!) you're the BEST! If I could, I'd glomp you, but I can't so…*sighs* I think I'm just going to do the Thank Yous like this from now on, much easier. Again, thank you guys SO much for reviewing. And hey, you ever want me to review your story, I will! Just say so. :D