A/N: Thank you all for your comments and constructive criticism. I will try my hardest to mould the story more towards your suggestions. Enjoy!!

An attack and an early failure

Sirius sat staring blankly out of the window of the garage where he worked. He was dressed in muggle mechanic attire and had smeared some grease on his hands and face to look as if the work was difficult. A beautiful woman stared at him leaning seductively back on the red sports car she had brought in to fix. This did not impress him for two reasons. The first being, he knew this particular sports car was rather out of style. He'd had a poster of it hung up in his room at his parents' house since he was eleven and had only not removed it because of the anti-stick charm he placed on everything on the walls as soon as he'd learnt how. The second was, his mind was on Ivana.

"Bloody hell. Can't a girl even go for a drink without getting followed!" exclaimed a huffy Ivana about half an hour after she'd stormed from their reunion lunch at the Potter's house.

For once, Sirius didn't make a joke. "Why did you rush off Ivana?"

"BECAUSE…because your impossible. You think this is a game don't you. The girl who you finally had a bit of interest in ditched you, so you're trying to get her back to save your pride?"

"No, that's not it! I most certainly am not making this a game Ivana. I just want you back. I want us to be good again. Happy."

"Oh Sirius, we both know we could do that for a while. But what's the use? What's the use when the same problems are going to keep resurfacing."

"What problems?" Sirius asked playing dumb and ordering a shot of firewhisky for both of them despite it still being rather early.

"The fact that I'm in love with you. And…well…"

"I've not been brought up to love…at the very least not romantically?" Sirius said raising an eyebrow.

"You say that Sirius. But the point is…you've never been one to be tied down by anything your parents forced on you. Why this?"

Sirius had no answer.

"The only way I can fathom an answer is to think that, no, as much as I'd like to be…I'm not the person who can change that Sirius. You can love alright…" She paused as the bartender placed two shots in front of them. "You just can't love me." And with that, she downed the shot, dropped a couple of galleons on the table and left.

Sirius had not been able to argue with her. He still wasn't so sure he could love. If he could…then Ivana would be the logical choice. He just didn't know how to convince her to come back to him and wait out this love business. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure he knew what that meant yet. He was now thoughtfully spinning his wand, which was emitting small sparks.

"Excuse me…isn't that dangerous?" the sexy women from outside was now in front of him.

"What? Oh…" Sirius said immediately stopping and putting down his wand. "Right…it's a very powerful tool miss."

"It looked like it. But I have no idea what mechanic equipment looks like!" she said with a tinkling laugh and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.

He nodded and peered back under the hood of the car before remembering he'd fixed it moments ago. He shut the lid to find the woman even closer. He wasn't exactly put off by her. He just had no interest.

"Maybe…you could show me some of your….equipment" she said suggestively.

Sirius looked at her indifferently. "Sorry love. Not sure my girlfriend would approve."

"Ah…a faithful, loving boyfriend. They do exist…" the woman said immediately losing interest and waggling her fingers at him before retreating to her car.

"Loving…" Sirius thought. It seemed he was going to need a better grasp of what that word actually meant before he made another blind move to win Ivana back.

"Sorry love, I got held up, I was almost positive I saw Theodore Nott hiding behind the Hog's Head but turns out Aberforth had been back there the whole time. It's so frustrating!" James blurted out as he joined his very pregnant wife and Peter Pettigrew at the Hogsmeade market place. "Hiya Petey."

"That's quite alright James, Pete was kind enough to tag along when I stopped by his mother's shop. He's been carrying the groceries." Lily said after kissing James hello. She then waddled toward a stand selling exotic fruits, her mouth watering.

"Thank a bunch mate" James said in a low voice, "You know with the baby coming along, I'm sort of doubling my efforts of fighting crime."

"Understandable James! Don't be silly. I would've felt much worse if I'd seen Lily carrying all this stuff than I'm going to when I come back twenty minutes late from lunch!" Pete said with a smile.

James smiled back. Wormtail had really matured in the past few months. Of course, he was starting to look really sickly, probably from all the worry that he may never find a job he loved. But he seemed to be hanging on to things, which were dearest to him – his friends. And for that, James was grateful that not much had changed since Hogwarts. Although he covered it up a bit better, he, like Sirius, often wished for the carefree, detention-filled days at their school.

"Well I better get a move on…see ya James, bye Lily!"

"Bye Wormy!" Lily said beaming through a mouth full of strawapples. James chuckled.

"Little baby sure has a strange appetite!"

"Ooh James, I'm a little tired, do you find if we go over there and sit for a while?" Lily said pointing to a rather deserted stretch of street near the Hog's Head, which had a few benches.

"Oh Lily, I'd rather we didn't, Aberforth's gone off somewhere and that basically leaves this whole area-" James was cut off as they walked closer to the benches.

"rather deserted it would seem…" Nott finished, lowering his hood.

"Oh it does seem rather deserted. Silly barman shouldn't have left…not when a couple of the Order is all alone…and one pregnant to boot!" Avery said joining him.

"Oh, wonderful, just what I need…a couple of Death Eaters…" James said glaring at them.

"How dare you speak so lightly of danger!" Avery snapped raising his wand. He suddenly however found himself wandless and immobilized without even a word being said.

Nott, a little confused at what happened was easy to disarm and then stun. The Potters should have escaped right then, but when James walked forward to capture them, a tall, ghostly figure emerged. James immediately stood in front of Lily who already had her wand out.

"Oh goodness…we meet again" Voldemort said boredly. "I'm rather bored and it seems my 'friends' here were outperformed. Wonderful, I like challenges…" he said laughing.

"You'd really try to kill two members of the Order right in Hogsmeade?" James said with a brave laugh.

"No, but I'd have fun killing off a blood traitor and a Mudblood and not having to worry even a little."

He began with the painful favourite. James writhed on the floor as Lily held her stomach. While Voldemort took the time to laugh with the now unfrozen Death Eaters, James quickly whispered to Lily to hang on to him and after holding up a powerful shield charm, he apparated away.

"James..Lily…oh my God.." a frantic dark haired man yelled storming into the hospital ward.

"SIR! Please! Keep your voice down!" said a scandalized medi-witch who stood at James' bedside.

"What's going on? What happened? Are they…are they…" Sirius said, his gray eyes suddenly itching.

The mediwitch looked at him a little sympathetically. "Mr Potter should be fine, I just need to waken him. His wife however, is slightly more complicated. With her pregnancy, we're rather worried…"

"Not the baby!" Sirius said rushing to Lily's side and holding her hand.

The mediwitch looked at him for a second before pointing her wand at James and saying "Revenerate"

James awoke a little groggily before turning to his side and jumping out of the bed. "Lily!!" he said, sinking to his knees.

"Prongs…you're ok.." Sirius said looking at him.

"HE NEEDS REST."

"What about my wife?" James said urgently.

"I just need to do a check on the baby and then I can awaken her too" the mediwitch explained running a hand over Lily's pregnant belly.

James clung to a supportive Sirius and both stood with bated breath.

Suddenly an image of Lily's womb shone from the witch's wand, the baby looking strong and healthy.

"A boy.." the witch said before repeating the spell to awaken Lily, who could barely keep her eyes open when she did. "NOW…Lie down…and You – come back tommorow when they are ready to leave…now they need the rest!"

James approached Lily and kissed her gently. "A boy Lily…"

Lily smiled through cracked lips. "Someone to teach quidditch.."

James and Sirius chuckled before the witch practically chased Sirius out and forced James back into bed.

Though the night ended with happiness, everyone was very upset that this in fact was the second time Lily and James had managed to defy Voldemort.

"MR LUPIN! That is the last straw…how dare you come back from Lunch so late!!" Lupin's boss looked furious as his employee walked in from a late lunch with Holly.

"I'm sorry sir, I got held up!" Lupin said doing up his collar.

"Well..I'm sorry too. I just cannot deal with your inadequacy any longer. Pack up your things Lupin. I want you out by the end of the day!" And with that, the angry little wizard stormed into his office. Remus sunk into his chair and put his head in his hands. What would he do now? He slowly got his small amount of possessions together and was ready to leave an hour later. He paused at his boss' office, contemplating going in to say goodbye. Deciding against it, he headed to the door but was stopped by a Patronus in the shape of a dog who stood on its hind legs and said, "Lily and James were attacked last night. Still at St. Mungo's. Come as soon as you can."

Lupin's heart tightened. Could this day get any worse?

It could.

"Remus?" said Holly as she walked by Gringotts on the way to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Holly…er…" Remus nervously looked into his box of things to avoid her gaze.

"What is that…?" she asked, her voice lowering as she walked toward him and peeked inside the box.

"I…I..I've been…"

"Let go?" Holly asked incredulously.

"Um..yes."

"That's a good laugh now isn't it? What will we do now Remus!?" Holly's eyes were narrowed as she glared at him.

"I'll find another job love…"

"You…you deadbeat…you liar!" She was suddenly hitting him, tears streaming down her face.

"Holly! Calm down…your making a scene!!" Remus said trying to shush her.

"NO I will not calm down. You refuse to help plan the wedding because your so busy working and then you get fired?! Remus, when will you grow up? You are so obsessed with that deadbeat roommate of yours…and your deadbeat friends!! How will you support me and Liam?"

"I wasn't aware, I'd have to be the soul person making money Holly…what about you? Hanging on to the inheritance Liam's dad left for him?" Remus said, now thoroughly angry.

She slapped him. "We are through Remus Lupin. Go find yourself a deadbeat witch to marry." She ran away from him into the Leaky Cauldron as he stood with the box of belongings at his feet and a headache, which seemed impenetrable.

"It was a bit of a scare" James said in explanation.

Sirius and Peter were clustered around he and Lily's beds while Dumbledore sat thoughtfully in an armchair in the corner. Ivana had been to visit earlier in the day when she instinctively knew Sirius had gone home to shower and change. Diya had owled them flowers, regretfully not finding a babysitter.

"A bit of a scare!!" Peter said wincing.

"Well it was all a bit quick.." Lily put in.

"You both could have been killed!" Sirius said angrily.

"I should think…" came Dumbledore's voice from the back of the room, "that from now on, all Order members should notify each other to their whereabouts. I'm rather afraid that this kind of escape won't happen again."

The people in the room nodded gravely. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must be off..I promised I'd bring Bathilda some soup." Dumbledore smiled and excused himself, right as Remus was hurtling through the door. "Ah, hello Remus, excuse my brevity but I have some things to attend to."

Remus nodded and ran in to James and Lily. "Are you ok!?"

James chuckled and Lily said with a smile, "Goodness, if I have to answer that question one more time…"

They all laughed and Remus took a seat.

"Well boys, as much as I'm enjoying this visit, I feel as though I might drop. I think I'll take a nap before the nurse discharges us" Lily smiled and promptly fell asleep.

"We'll go then shall we?" Peter whispered.

"No, I expect she likes the feeling of you guys being here…even if she isn't awake" James said suddenly looking depressed.

"James?" Sirius inquired noting the expression on his friend's face.

"It's just…I can't help but think I didn't protect her…and the baby. I mean, all I can think about is that resolution…I might've failed…already!" James explained quietly.

"The point is Prongs…you did protect her…you didn't fail! You're alive. The baby is ok…it's a boy!" Sirius said encouragingly.

"Besides Prongs…I've already failed.." Remus spoke up, to which everyone turned around in puzzlement. "I've…I was let go this afternoon…and it so happens I ran into Holly as I was taking out all my stuff. She called me a deadbeat and wants nothing to do with me…If this was what broke us up…I can only imagine her reaction if I had told her about my problem".

His friends looked on sympathetically.

"Your better off without her Moony. She was a pretty face with nothing going on upstairs.." Sirius said.

"Yeah I suppose, I guess it's better this way anyhow. I wont be able to hurt anyone will I?"

"Remus!" James said urgently.

"No, James…you need to get some rest" he said suddenly standing up and ushering Sirius and Peter out.

"I'll be back at four to take you guys home alright?" Sirius said to an indignant James. And then with a private look, told him to leave the Remus issue alone. James understood and leaned back on his pillows to nap.

A/N: Please review, I appreciate it!!