TWENTY-FOUR
Monday, 9 November 2020; twenty-two weeks
With everything that had been going on, Hermione nearly forgot she had had a check up on Monday. It was already a week earlier than it was supposed to be due to the upcoming holiday and had she missed it, it would have been after Thanksgiving when she got in again. That would have put her two weeks behind. Not that there were any concerns, seeing as how her doctor repeatedly told her she was developing at standard, textbook rates. Either way, figuring it would be better to have the appointment early rather than late, she made arrangements with her boss to leave for it.
The downside to having forgotten about it was that it was too short of notice for James to meet her. She had called him on her way and was lucky that he answered given that she had called his cell instead of his office. He had let her go so he could find out, but by the time she arrived at the doctor's office, he had called her back, saying he wasn't able to slip away, but asked to keep him posted.
She was just glad that this appointment wasn't an ultrasound. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the gel; especially if she was going to back to work and not home where she could properly clean herself off. Based on that fact alone, she knew the visit would be a short one. That there would just be a few questions asked, vitals taken, and a series of assessments jotted down into her file. She asked a few questions, though most of what she wanted to know was answered when her doctor went over what to expect between now and her next visit.
So far, the appointment was going just about how she expected it to. Her diligent work of keeping track of her development at home was matching up to what was in her file. She was halfway through her second trimester already, something that boggled her mind. But even knowing that her third trimester was only a few weeks away, it was the reminder of her actual due date that set off a panic attack.
Currently, it was marked down for mid-February; the exact date being the seventeenth. Originally, the date had seemed so far away. Before she backed out of the adoption. Before she decided that she was going to embrace the new path of life that had been thrown her way; the path of motherhood. But now that she was taking that road, that date felt entirely too close for comfort. And as the day wore on, her panic increased.
She had barely been able to focus on work when she returned. So much so that her boss sent her home early. She thought about calling James, but she didn't want to interrupt his work day over a panic attack. Though most of her decision not to call him was that she wasn't sure if she would even be able to say anything when he answered. She definitely didn't want to give off the impression that something worse was happening and have him rush home for nothing.
By the time he did come home, she had curled into the corner of the couch as best she could, buried her head in her hands, and sat there in silence. "Hermione?"
She looked up in surprise. She'd been so lost in her own head that she hadn't heard him come in. Even if they hadn't made up their minds to a certain degree the night before, she still would have shot to her feet and thrown her arms about his neck the way she did. His arms wound around her automatically, giving her just enough pressure to relieve the tension in her body. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent of him calm her down even more.
"What's wrong?"
"We're doing this," she mumbled, her words a bit muffled from where her face was buried into his chest. She pulled away after a moment, returning to her earlier pacing up and down the length of the living room. "I'm more than halfway through this pregnancy and we have nothing." She paused to pull her hair from her face, tucking some of it behind her ears. "Nothing."
He crossed the room, taking one of her hands in his, his other hand coming to rest on the side of her stomach. "We still have time to get everything you need."
She shook her head and pulled away from him. "It's not just the stuff." She tried to take deeper breaths in effort to calm down, but her mind continued to race, making it near impossible. "It's my job. There's been rumors of it going bankrupt, but no one's going to hire someone about to go on maternity leave. It's the fact that despite that despite all you've done for me, I'm still just a guest here. I don't even have a place of my own."
"What if you weren't a guest here?"
She stopped in her tracks so fast that she nearly tripped over her own feet. Slowly, she turned so that she was facing him and stood there, staring, unsure of what to say.
"People are already used to the idea of you living here. As you said, the baby; our son, will be here in a few months and instead of trying to find a new job, settle into a new place, and take care of a newborn on your own…" his voice trailed off as he took a step closer, a pleading look in his eyes. "Just move in."
"James-"
"I told you before; this house is paid for. Has been for awhile. We can turn the other guest room into the nursery. And I'm not-" he paused, taking a step closer to her, a nervous smile on his lips. "I'm not expecting you to move into my room; I get that we're not anywhere near even discussing that let alone-" He shook his head, cutting himself off. "I've never asked you for any monetary help, Hermione and I never intend to. I have plenty of space and it's my son. Our son. If you're planning on raising him, I want to be involved as much as possible.
"Even if we keep our relationship to ourselves, I don't care. Even if you never tell him I'm his father; so long as I get to be in his life…" He shrugged. "I don't care." He reached out for her hand again and the simple gesture send a shiver down her spine. "Even if this doesn't work out between you and I, I'd like to give it a shot." He leaned in until his forehead rested against hers. "I like having you here. Both of you."
There were still so many things about saying yes that would make the road ahead far more difficult than necessary. Even if they managed to keep their relationship a secret for the duration of it, people would talk. Even though he spoke of never needing their son to know who his father was, she hadn't missed the flash of pain in his eyes. But the fact that he was willing to take so many risks for her had her feeling the need to do the same.
"Okay."
The word was a barely there whisper, but he heard it all the same. She could tell by the way he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as they always did. "Thank you," he murmured against her lips as she cupped his face and leaned in to kiss him.
She squirmed against him when he started to move towards the stairs. "Hey, you didn't bring dinner home. It was your night."
"We'll order in after," he said as he shifted her so he could see as they ascended the stairs.
"After?"
The grin he gave her ruined her knickers and she shivered in his hold. "We just hit a milestone and I intend to celebrate it properly." He paused outside his door, taking a moment to press her up against it and kiss her in a way that left her dizzy and breathless. When he broke the kiss, he did so with a nip to her bottom lip and then kissed his way to her ear. "I'd like to start with dessert first."
She moaned low in her throat and nodded vigorously as he finally carried her into his room where they worked up one appetite while trying to sate another.
Wednesday, 11 November 2020; twenty-two weeks
Hermione had returned to her office after going out to get lunch to find that that the company systems had crashed and everyone was being sent home for the day. It did nothing to ease her fears about the rumors that had started to get more traction over the past few weeks, but regardless, she looked forward to her spontaneous afternoon off.
However, her good mood was brought down a notch worry began to settle in her stomach at the sight of James' car in the driveway. Under normal circumstances, she would be more than happy to have a random Wednesday afternoon with him, but she was under the impression that he had left for work right after her that morning. The knot of worry grew a bit more as she wondered what could have happened to bring him home and after checking her phone, what would have had him keeping it from her.
Cautiously, she made her way to the front door, making the same amount of noise she normally would. She listened for a moment before closing the door. Upstairs she heard voices; one belonging to him and the other to Sirius. "James?" she called out, taking hesitant steps towards the stairs.
The voices went silent for a moment before a loud thud sounded, making her jump. A moment later, James appeared on the stairs as he made his way to her. "You're home early," he said, a sheepish smile on his face.
Her brow rose as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So are you." She took in the sight of him, her eyes raking down over his pair of dark wash jeans and heather grey shirt; far too casual for his work. "I thought you went to work today."
He raked a hand through his hair, his grin spreading. "That was my intention, but I decided to take the day off instead."
Her eyes drifted up towards the ceiling. "And Sirius?"
"I had a plan for today and I needed his help. He's never one to pass up a good excuse to use a sick day."
"What was your plan?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"First, tell me why you're home so early," he pressed, closing the distance between them, his hands resting on the on her biceps just below her shoulders. "Everything alright?"
"We're fine," she said, shivering slightly at the way one of his hands skimmed along the curve of her shoulder until his fingers lightly wrapped around her chin. "There was a company wide system failure at work so we all went home." She tipped her head to the side despite his hold on her. "What were your plans?"
He smiled as he leaned in, his lips brushing over hers briefly. When he pulled away, he dropped his hand from her face and sought hers, twining their fingers together before pulling her to the stairs. "It'll be better if I show you," he said as they began to ascend. "For the record, had you come home when you were supposed to, it would have been finished," he said, his voice nothing more than a gentle tease.
Hermione followed him up the stairs, their hands still twined together. Once they reached he landing, she withdrew her touch, nodding to Sirius as he lounged against the door frame of the other guest room. He might know about the two of them, but she wasn't comfortable flaunting it.
"Go on, take a look," James said from beside her, motioning towards the guest room. Sirius mimicked the gesture as he stepped out of the way.
She swallowed hard, giving them both a hesitant look before taking the first step towards the room. Her heart rate increased as she took the last few steps and she had barely crossed the threshold when she saw it. There were still pieces strewn about; the instructions more or less forgotten with the box off to the side of the room, but it was there.
There, in the middle of the room, was a half-assembled crib.
He had taken her panic from the other day and not only had he listened to what it was she was panicking over, but he had actually gone and done something about it. He wasn't waiting for her to suggest they go shopping. He wasn't just there to be along for the ride. He was being proactive about it. He was doing this in the hopes of easing her worries and make her feel as though he really wanted her there. Wanted both of them there.
She turned around slowly, tears blurring the edge of her vision. James was just inside the door, watching her with a smile on his face; his eyes bright with happiness. Sirius was outside, his chest against the frame as his head poked around it. His smile was one of amusement as he watched her take a step forward only to pause again.
"Don't stop on my account, Kitten," he said with a wink nodding his head towards James. "I think he's earned a proper thank you."
She gave herself to the count of three, not wanting to seem to eager. But even waiting those few seconds did nothing to slow down the steps it took to cross the room and wrap her arms around James' neck. His arms banded around her back as she lifted up on the tips of her toes and angled her head so he could slant his lips over hers. They both held back, keeping their kisses light and playful.
"Thank you," she murmured as she dropped her head against his chest.
"We'll have in finished before dinner and one of these weekends we can go shopping to get the rest." She nodded against him as he spoke, his hands smoothing over her curls that cascaded down her back. "Feel better now?"
"Much," she replied, pulling away from him begrudgingly, still very aware that they weren't alone.
As if he knew she was thinking about him, Sirius cleared his throat and grinned wolfishly at her. "I helped you know. Don't I get a proper thank you too?"
James chuckled as she rolled her eyes, but she still stepped forward, placing her lips against the cheek he stuck out for her. "Thank you, Sirius," she said as she stepped back. "And not just for this, but for being supportive. We both know it's weird."
"The heart wants what it wants," he quipped, looking behind her to James and then back at her. "Although I do have to warn you that my labor and compliance is not free."
James snorted as he came to stand beside Hermione, his hand warm as it pressed against the small of her back. "The beer and a spontaneous day away from work not enough for you?"
Sirius shook his head, his grin never wavering. "I was thinking more along the lines of a title."
"Title?" Hermione questioned.
The smile on James' face warmed exponentially "He means godfather."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she looked from Sirius' nod of agreement to James who was already looking at her as if waiting for approval. She hadn't really thought about it. While it made sense, she wasn't sure how everyone else would take it given that he was already Harry's godfather. Though she supposed it wasn't that strange. It wasn't as if there were that many options and the thought of asking Harry to be godfather to his half brother seemed stranger than them sharing the same one.
"It's perfect," she replied, pushing the doubts aside and running with the gut feeling that this was right.
And as they went back to assembling the crib, Hermione went into her room next door to change. It was there that she realized for the first time since this started, she found herself looking forward to the possibilities this path had to offer. And when she joined them in the new nursery to partake in their conversation, she was surprised at how little doubt she felt at all.
A/N: To answer your comments, the angst will come from others, not James or Hermione suddenly backing out :) I'm so glad you guys loved it and I can't wait for you got see the rest of their journey for these two!