James walked back to the apartment later that night, a decent sized bruise on his ribs.

He and Remus had been sent on a simple information run this afternoon. They were supposed to spy on whatever death eater was easiest to get to and see what they could pick up. Only problem was the death eater was a slytherin that had graduated a year before James and Remus and he had recognized them both. It's not like they had exactly kept a low profile while in school.

The two of them hadn't bothered to fight him, just apparate away before too much trouble got stirred up. Only problem was, before James could apparate he got hit in the side by some spell that just felt like an enormous punch.

Moody had said it was just a bruised rib, and James had had enough quidditch injuries in his life to deal.

Pulling a face at a particularly jarring step James stopped in front of the apartment building. There was a loud meowing coming from… somewhere.

There it was again. It seemed like it was off to his left.

James looked around, the meowing growing louder and louder until he found what appeared to be a very ugly kitten caught in some old pipes.

James discretely used his wand to enlarge the pipe the kitten was stuck in and scoop him out. He was quite a dirty little thing with matted fur and what appeared to be grease spots all over.

James looked for a collar or a tag or any other indication this thing might belong to someone. Nothing. Just a kitten outside the apartment building shivering in the cold.

"Alright then." James muttered to himself and held the kitten inside his jacket. Lily was going to have a cow.

"James?" he heard Lily call from the other room as he stepped through the door and dropped his key on the little bowl on the counter.

"No, dear, just Voldemort."

"Good grief, dark lord, care to knock?" she joked, emerging from the bedroom in that little pair of pajama pants that James loved so much.

"What's that?" she asked, gesturing to the kitten that was starting to squirm inside his jacket.

"Well- envision this, love- a sad, lowly creature, abandoned by its own mother and left in the cold to slowly die away. A tale of tragedy."

"James," Lily said in a warning tone that basically just meant tell me what you've brought into our home.

"Fine," he relinquished, holding out the kitten.

"No." was all Lily said "no, no, no, no, no."

"You don't even know what i want to do with it." James defended himself

"You want to keep it, right?"

"I mean, yes, but-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because- because- it's- it's a cat James! You know how long we're going to be stuck with this thing?"

"Stuck with?"

"Yeah. What if the cat turns out to be a massive arsehole? We can't just get rid of it a year or two from now."

"And what if it turns out to be a little angel sent from the gods." He held the kitten up to her face. She looked unimpressed.

"Pleaseee."

"You know what, James. I always thought to myself that I would have to think a lot before I had kids. That it couldn't be an impulse decision and that I had to be older and ready. But here you are, standing in front of me. Acting like a five year old."

"Shallow, love. Very shallow."

"Says the man thrusting a kitten in my face."

"I could be thrusting other things in your face." James wiggled his eyebrows

"Ah yes. A cock joke to prove your maturity. Good call."

"Lil, a perfectly good pussy is on the line here." He held up the kitten once more.

"See? See what I did there?"

"Your inappropriate- albeit, slightly amusing, puns- won't save this cat."

"Just tonight, lils. Just until we find out what else to do with it. Pretty please?"

Lily rubbed her brow in a sign of defeat and James's spirits rose.

"Fine." she relinquished and James leaned in, giving her a kiss.

"Did you know you're my favorite fiancee that i've ever had?"

"Mhm," the edge of Lily's mouth rose "i'd better be."