"A baby?!" Annie cried happily. She, her parents, Remus, Sirius, and Rhia
were sitting at the Lupin's large dinner table, chatting and laughing
happily after their meal.
"She's due in July." Rhia replied with a smile, taking Remus's hand under the table.
"Isn't that such splendid news?" Mrs. Lupin cooed. "I've only met her mother a few times, but I'm sure she's pleased as punch at the news."
"They're going to tell them tomorrow morning, Mrs. Lupin." Sirius said."That is, if James can keep it in that long."
"He's terribly excited at the prospect of being a father." Rhia explained.
"I can imagine." Remus grinned, thinking of how excited James got over these things.
"July, that's barely seven months away!" Annie exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. "I'll have to get right to work."
"Work?" Sirius furrowed his brow as she bounded out of the room.
"Annie exalts babies." Mr. Lupin said. "She insists on making some kind of garment for every one she knows."
"Remember how much she praised your little sister Aurie when she was born?" Remus reminded him.
"She must've knitted her eighteen pairs of booties." Rhia laughed.
"Don't tease." Mrs. Lupin scolded. "She just gets overexcited. She's a nurturer."
"If that's what you want to call it, Mum." Remus rolled his eyes.
"I don't see you making me a grandmother, Remus Javier." She chastised as she began to clear away the dishes. "Just because you don't fancy children doesn't mean she won't."
"All right, Mum, all right." Remus sighed.
"Here, let me help you, Mrs. Lupin." Rhia picked up a stack of plates and followed the woman into the kitchen.
"Thank you, dearie." She took them from her and set them in the sink where the pots were busy already cleaning themselves. "Fetch that pudding from the icebox, won't you?"
"Of course." Rhia nodded and took out the pudding, placing it on a platter Mrs. Lupin had gotten out.
"Rhia, may I ask you something?" Mrs. Lupin said as she began to summon some glasses from the cabinets.
"Anything, Mrs. Lupin." She replied.
"You and Remus...you're living together." She nodded and Mrs. Lupin flushed. "Are you...well...doing more than just...living together?"
"I...er..." Rhia flushed as well, averting her eyes. "Well, yes. O- occasionally."
"Oh." Mrs. Lupin nodded determinedly, as if this wasn't what she had hoped, but it had to be dealt with. "Are you planning on anything more?"
"Do you mean marriage, Mrs. Lupin?" Rhia asked, a small smile toying with the corners of her mouth.
"Yes." She replied bluntly. "You're the only girl I can ever remember Remus being with, and you're such a nice girl at that!"
"Thank you." Rhia smiled pleasantly.
"And if you did decide to get married and perhaps make me a grandmother, I wouldn't object!" It was all Rhia could do to try and not laugh.
"Perhaps we should include Remus in this conversation." Rhia said, starting to push the door to the dining room open.
"Oh, no!" Mrs. Lupin pulled her hand away. "He and Alfred are giving Sirius the third degree, I imagine."
And indeed they were. On the other side of the door, Mr. Lupin, with Remus's help, was thoroughly interrogating Sirius, who sat nervously perched on the edge of his seat.
"And, ah, how long have you two been...courting?' Mr. Lupin asked, for lack of a better word.
"On and off, about three years. About a year and a half this time." He said quickly.
"On and off?" Mr. Lupin cocked an eyebrow.
"I, er..." Sirius glanced at Remus.
"They took a few breaks." Remus supplied. "He, uh, wasn't sure if she was ready."
"Looking out for her, good, good." Mr. Lupin nodded. "And do you have any other intentions?"
"Well, I..." Sirius once again glanced at Remus. He hadn't yet told his friend of any 'intentions', good or bad.
"Do you?" Remus said, leaning forward, quite interested.
"We haven't exactly talked about it." Sirius replied. "I mean, what with her finishing school, we haven't exactly seen much of each other."
"What I want to know is if you plan on a future with her." Mr. Lupin said.
"Exactly." Remus chimed in.
"A-a future?" Sirius repeated. They nodded in sync. "Well, yes. Yes, I'd like to have a...a future with her. After she gets out of school, you know. Marry her, have a family with her-"
"That's enough." Mr. Lupin said hastily. After all, Annie was his little girl, he wasn't in any hurry to marry her off.
"What are we discussing?" Annie asked as she came into the room, holding a large ball of yellow yarn.
"Nothing." Remus muttered.
"Dessert!" Mrs. Lupin walked out of the kitchen, holding a large pudding, Rhia following close behind.
~*~
"You never told me you wanted to marry her." Remus said later as he and Sirius were hanging around in the snow-covered garden.
"I didn't really know until tonight." Sirius replied, a little smile picking at the corners of his mouth.
"Didn't know?" Remus furrowed his brow, his voice slightly incredulous. "How could you not know? I've known I wanted to marry Rhia forever!"
"What does it matter, Remus?" Sirius cried. "I know now, that's what matters. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is you're Sirius Black!" Remus exclaimed. "You still check out other girls when you're not with Annie!"
"Check them out, yes, but it's not like I bed them!"
Remus glowered.
"I know that, Sirius, but it's still not right." He said. "You've hurt her before, how do I know you won't do it again?"
"Won't do what again?" Rhia came out into the garden, holding two mugs of cocoa.
"Why don't you tell her, Sirius?" Remus said somewhat scathingly before walking back inside the house.
"What's wrong with him?" She said, furrowing her brow.
"He's mad about some things I said." He replied, moving over on the bench he sat on, leaving her some room.
"What did you say?" she asked.
"That I wanted to marry Annie." He said bluntly.
"M-marry?!" Rhia repeated. "Sirius, she's not even eighteen!"
"Her birthday's only two months away." Sirius retorted. "But Remus seems to think that I won't be faithful."
"Well, you are Sirius Black." She teased with a smile.
"That's just what he said!" Sirius jumped up. "Can't a fellow change once in a while?"
"Sirius, I was only teasing." Rhia put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I know, I'm sorry." He apologized. "It's just that no one believes I can do it. I mean...Rhia, I think this is it. You know, the one. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Not just live with her, like you, but marry her. Like James and Lily."
Rhia nodded silently, feeling extremely left out. James and Lily had each other and their baby on the way. Now Sirius and Annie were discussing marriage, already planning for children of their own, and she...well, living with Remus wasn't the same as being married.
"They were asking me all sorts of questions about the future and her and me and that's when I realized it." He smiled gently. "I want to marry her. And I want her to have my children. And-"
"All right, all right." Rhia held up a hand, feeling a twinge of jealousy course through her.
"Whoa, someone's touchy," Sirius joked, but straightened up quick when he saw she was serious. "Rhiannon, are you okay?"
"I don't know, Sir. Everything's changing. James and Lil are having a baby, you want to settle down with Annie..."
"And you feel left out, because things are going rather slow with you and Remus, right?" Rhia nodded. "Rhia, you and Remus have a beautiful relationship, and you love each other deeply. Things will happen when they're ready." Then he kissed her forehead, squeezed her hand, and went back into the house. As she watched him leave, she sighed.
"But when the time comes, it could be too late..."
"She's due in July." Rhia replied with a smile, taking Remus's hand under the table.
"Isn't that such splendid news?" Mrs. Lupin cooed. "I've only met her mother a few times, but I'm sure she's pleased as punch at the news."
"They're going to tell them tomorrow morning, Mrs. Lupin." Sirius said."That is, if James can keep it in that long."
"He's terribly excited at the prospect of being a father." Rhia explained.
"I can imagine." Remus grinned, thinking of how excited James got over these things.
"July, that's barely seven months away!" Annie exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. "I'll have to get right to work."
"Work?" Sirius furrowed his brow as she bounded out of the room.
"Annie exalts babies." Mr. Lupin said. "She insists on making some kind of garment for every one she knows."
"Remember how much she praised your little sister Aurie when she was born?" Remus reminded him.
"She must've knitted her eighteen pairs of booties." Rhia laughed.
"Don't tease." Mrs. Lupin scolded. "She just gets overexcited. She's a nurturer."
"If that's what you want to call it, Mum." Remus rolled his eyes.
"I don't see you making me a grandmother, Remus Javier." She chastised as she began to clear away the dishes. "Just because you don't fancy children doesn't mean she won't."
"All right, Mum, all right." Remus sighed.
"Here, let me help you, Mrs. Lupin." Rhia picked up a stack of plates and followed the woman into the kitchen.
"Thank you, dearie." She took them from her and set them in the sink where the pots were busy already cleaning themselves. "Fetch that pudding from the icebox, won't you?"
"Of course." Rhia nodded and took out the pudding, placing it on a platter Mrs. Lupin had gotten out.
"Rhia, may I ask you something?" Mrs. Lupin said as she began to summon some glasses from the cabinets.
"Anything, Mrs. Lupin." She replied.
"You and Remus...you're living together." She nodded and Mrs. Lupin flushed. "Are you...well...doing more than just...living together?"
"I...er..." Rhia flushed as well, averting her eyes. "Well, yes. O- occasionally."
"Oh." Mrs. Lupin nodded determinedly, as if this wasn't what she had hoped, but it had to be dealt with. "Are you planning on anything more?"
"Do you mean marriage, Mrs. Lupin?" Rhia asked, a small smile toying with the corners of her mouth.
"Yes." She replied bluntly. "You're the only girl I can ever remember Remus being with, and you're such a nice girl at that!"
"Thank you." Rhia smiled pleasantly.
"And if you did decide to get married and perhaps make me a grandmother, I wouldn't object!" It was all Rhia could do to try and not laugh.
"Perhaps we should include Remus in this conversation." Rhia said, starting to push the door to the dining room open.
"Oh, no!" Mrs. Lupin pulled her hand away. "He and Alfred are giving Sirius the third degree, I imagine."
And indeed they were. On the other side of the door, Mr. Lupin, with Remus's help, was thoroughly interrogating Sirius, who sat nervously perched on the edge of his seat.
"And, ah, how long have you two been...courting?' Mr. Lupin asked, for lack of a better word.
"On and off, about three years. About a year and a half this time." He said quickly.
"On and off?" Mr. Lupin cocked an eyebrow.
"I, er..." Sirius glanced at Remus.
"They took a few breaks." Remus supplied. "He, uh, wasn't sure if she was ready."
"Looking out for her, good, good." Mr. Lupin nodded. "And do you have any other intentions?"
"Well, I..." Sirius once again glanced at Remus. He hadn't yet told his friend of any 'intentions', good or bad.
"Do you?" Remus said, leaning forward, quite interested.
"We haven't exactly talked about it." Sirius replied. "I mean, what with her finishing school, we haven't exactly seen much of each other."
"What I want to know is if you plan on a future with her." Mr. Lupin said.
"Exactly." Remus chimed in.
"A-a future?" Sirius repeated. They nodded in sync. "Well, yes. Yes, I'd like to have a...a future with her. After she gets out of school, you know. Marry her, have a family with her-"
"That's enough." Mr. Lupin said hastily. After all, Annie was his little girl, he wasn't in any hurry to marry her off.
"What are we discussing?" Annie asked as she came into the room, holding a large ball of yellow yarn.
"Nothing." Remus muttered.
"Dessert!" Mrs. Lupin walked out of the kitchen, holding a large pudding, Rhia following close behind.
~*~
"You never told me you wanted to marry her." Remus said later as he and Sirius were hanging around in the snow-covered garden.
"I didn't really know until tonight." Sirius replied, a little smile picking at the corners of his mouth.
"Didn't know?" Remus furrowed his brow, his voice slightly incredulous. "How could you not know? I've known I wanted to marry Rhia forever!"
"What does it matter, Remus?" Sirius cried. "I know now, that's what matters. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is you're Sirius Black!" Remus exclaimed. "You still check out other girls when you're not with Annie!"
"Check them out, yes, but it's not like I bed them!"
Remus glowered.
"I know that, Sirius, but it's still not right." He said. "You've hurt her before, how do I know you won't do it again?"
"Won't do what again?" Rhia came out into the garden, holding two mugs of cocoa.
"Why don't you tell her, Sirius?" Remus said somewhat scathingly before walking back inside the house.
"What's wrong with him?" She said, furrowing her brow.
"He's mad about some things I said." He replied, moving over on the bench he sat on, leaving her some room.
"What did you say?" she asked.
"That I wanted to marry Annie." He said bluntly.
"M-marry?!" Rhia repeated. "Sirius, she's not even eighteen!"
"Her birthday's only two months away." Sirius retorted. "But Remus seems to think that I won't be faithful."
"Well, you are Sirius Black." She teased with a smile.
"That's just what he said!" Sirius jumped up. "Can't a fellow change once in a while?"
"Sirius, I was only teasing." Rhia put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I know, I'm sorry." He apologized. "It's just that no one believes I can do it. I mean...Rhia, I think this is it. You know, the one. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Not just live with her, like you, but marry her. Like James and Lily."
Rhia nodded silently, feeling extremely left out. James and Lily had each other and their baby on the way. Now Sirius and Annie were discussing marriage, already planning for children of their own, and she...well, living with Remus wasn't the same as being married.
"They were asking me all sorts of questions about the future and her and me and that's when I realized it." He smiled gently. "I want to marry her. And I want her to have my children. And-"
"All right, all right." Rhia held up a hand, feeling a twinge of jealousy course through her.
"Whoa, someone's touchy," Sirius joked, but straightened up quick when he saw she was serious. "Rhiannon, are you okay?"
"I don't know, Sir. Everything's changing. James and Lil are having a baby, you want to settle down with Annie..."
"And you feel left out, because things are going rather slow with you and Remus, right?" Rhia nodded. "Rhia, you and Remus have a beautiful relationship, and you love each other deeply. Things will happen when they're ready." Then he kissed her forehead, squeezed her hand, and went back into the house. As she watched him leave, she sighed.
"But when the time comes, it could be too late..."