Disclaimer:
Chances are, it's not mine. Chiho Saito/J.K.Rowling—pick one. (Chiho Saito's series "Love Stories," short-story in vol. 4) And...yeah. Okay I'm done.

Chapter 2: The Proposal

"So tell me, James, what did you do?" Sirius threw himself down on a sofa in James's bachelor flat in London. The study was chock-filled with an assortment of books, papers, magazines, newspapers, old mementos, trophies, and waving photographs. Cleaning wasn't James's strong point.

"What do you mean, what did I do?" James asked distractedly as he rifled through the papers that cluttered his desk. He turned toward the doorway to the living room. "Tilly, have you seen my newest set of files??"

A small squeak was heard as a tiny house-elf appeared holding a bright yellow envelope. James accepted the package gratefully, thanking the house-elf, who blushed and disappeared again.

"To make Lily fall for you, of course!" Sirius reclined lazily on the sofa. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the way she smiled at you at the meeting—"

"Padfoot, you're seeing things," James interrupted stoically, frowning as he eyed the contents of the folder.

"Oh no I'm not!" Sirius said indignantly. "And would you just talk to me for a minute? Accio!"

The envelope flew out of James's hands and into Sirius's. James shot an exasperated look at his friend and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "What??"

"Look, James, we both got into the League around the same time after graduation. We've been hanging around for the past four years—"

"Going on four years. It hasn't been that long!"

Sirius went on as if he hadn't spoken. "And while we'd both make great Aurors, it's not like either of us has done anything that really deserved a whole lot of recognition. Far as I've seen, you've been quite content to stay out of the spotlight up till now. So I'd like to know what's suddenly changed your mind, and what exactly you've been doing to get Lily eating out of your hand."

"She's not eating out of my hand!" exclaimed James. "And I haven't been getting recognition!"

"James, you've been working overtime for the past two weeks! They've been giving you all the big cases to do and I heard Morgan say that they're considering giving you a promotion! Don't tell me you haven't been pulling strings—"

"Well, I don't know what you're expecting from me, because I haven't. And I still don't see how you're making this all connect to Lily."

Sirius released an exasperated sigh and threw the envelope at James's head. Of course, James caught it. "The girl's been taking charge of most things in the office since Terrence has been laid up. One of the jobs that Terrence always reserved for himself was allotting work to different branches or specific people as the case might be. Since he's gone, it's all fallen into Lily's hands."

"How's she handling the job, anyway?" James asked nonchalantly, returning to flipping through his papers.

"Just fine, she's doing a—NOW WAIT A MINUTE! You're trying to change the subject!"

"No, no I'm not."

"Yes you are! You—"

"Am I interrupting something?"

The two wizards turned toward the fireplace where the head of Morgan, Carruthers's secretary, bobbed merrily in the flames.

"No, of course not, Morgan. What is it?" James said, pointedly ignoring Sirius's mutterings.

"I...see. Well," the russet-haired wizard smirked at the two of them before continuing in a more sober tone. "James, you're to report to Carruthers's office in ten minutes. Don't be late."

"Wait, but—" There was a distinct popping noise, and the head disappeared before James could finish his question. "Carruthers's office? Does that mean he's back?"

Sirius looked thoughtful. "Last I heard he was driving everyone—including the house-elves—absolutely nutters. You know how fussy the man is."

James rolled his eyes and straightened his robes. "Well, then, I s'ppose I ought to get going. See you in a bit, Sirius."

And before his friend could say another word, James apparated away.

***

James arrived in front of the office door labeled "Carruthers, Head of Defense" promptly three minutes before the scheduled time.

"Go on in," Morgan assured him. "She's expecting you."

She? James wondered briefly before knocking and opening the door.

Sitting in the swivel chair facing the doorway in all her red and gold glory was one Lily Evans. It struck James again quite forcibly, as it had every other time he'd glimpsed her at the office in the past week or so, that if Gryffindor had ever needed a mascot, a muse, or a goddess, Lily Evans would have been made to order. Her red-gold hair gleaming in the light and her graceful, nearly feline posture brought to mind a Gryffindor in multiple senses of the word. She smiled disarmingly at him for a moment. He stood there gaping at her for quite some time before he realized she'd spoken.

"Come again?" he asked, flustered.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling up endearingly. "I asked if you would accompany me to the site of the newest break-in. Terrence won't allow me to go alone and Morgan recommended you for escort as according to him you're a 'dependable sort of bloke.'" She smiled at him again.

"Of course."

Damned if he could resist that smile.

***

As they surveyed the shattered remnants of defense charms and wards around the building James wondered if Lily really understood everything she was looking at—the extent of the damage, the technicalities behind the breaks.

"It doesn't look like the work of Death Eaters," Lily said finally.

"Because there isn't a Dark Mark?" said James, lifting an eyebrow.

Lily lifted an eyebrow of her own. "Well, yes, but the style doesn't match any of the Death Eaters' on record. It doesn't have to have the Dark Mark above it to be the work of one of Voldemort's supporters, you know."

James could feel his jaw drop slightly, and not just because she'd said Voldemort's name so casually aloud. "You remember every Death Eater's record?"

Lily blushed slightly. "Well, I did make sure to know the basics. After all, it's my job." She paused before turning to some of the Ministry workers who were milling about the site. "I'm going to ask them some questions about this now, if you'll wait for a few minutes, James." She waved and set off before he could reply.

James watched for several minutes as Lily made her way around the site, speaking to various officials and, apparently, remembering everything without having to make physical notes. He was more impressed than ever at her knowledge and assorted capabilities; he could see why Terrence would trust the girl with the running of the administrative bureau (and basically the entire League!) in his absence.

Dusk was gathering by the time Lily finished up. James had taken the wait time to get a bit of his own work done, and he'd conducted some surface investigation into the case himself.

"Do you mind if we stop by the house on the way back?" Lily asked. "It will only take a few minutes—I left some paperwork there." Seeing James's hesitation, she smiled wryly and sighed. "I know it's out of the way....I wouldn't be asking this of you except that I've got to finish filling it all out by the end of today or there's no way the Ministry will get to processing it by next week. And Morgan'll throw a fit if I arrive back at headquarters alone."

It made sense. Why they were walking toward the nearest house, however, James couldn't fathom.

"Er...are we going to apparate?" James felt extremely stupid.

"Well, I prefer using floo actually...haven't felt up to apparating in a bit..." Lily trailed off, her brow furrowing. James smiled and reassured her that flooing was fine by him as well.

***

James stumbled a little as he stepped out of the fireplace and quickly steadied himself as he looked about. He was thankful, though slightly confused, when he realized that he was the only one in the room.

"Miss Evans?" he called tentatively. She was younger than he was, it was true, but it would be strange to start calling her by her first name, wouldn't it?....Wouldn't it?

"In here!" her voice answered sweetly.

He followed the sound and arrived at what must have been the master bedroom. Completely decorated in dull gold, there was a singular running Muggle-cupid motif with chubby angelic babies aiming arrows left and right over the tapestries. It took several moments for his eyes to adjust fully to the dim candlelight that flickered through the room and several more moments before he realized that it was Lily who lay across the bed in an unmistakably—he gulped—seductive manner.

It was really strange to say the least.

But not necessarily unpleasant.

He gulped again.

"Would you," Lily said softly, darting him a sultry glance with alluring emerald eyes as her tongue darted out to lick her lips, "marry me?"

James had been accused by Sirius of having bad hearing but this was by far the most telling evidence of it he'd experienced. He blinked rapidly. He was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe normally.  Or to think.

Lily took his silence as encouragement and continued. "I'm not joking." She took his hand and pulled him to her slowly as she continued to speak softly. "I've read about your background. Your family consisted of yourself and your mother before she died while you were still a fifth year at Hogwarts. One of your most outstanding dreams is to be promoted to Head of the Dark Force Defense." She wrapped his unresisting arms around her waist and propped herself up on her knees as she twined her own arms around his neck. She looked up at him with half-closed, shimmering green eyes. "I can make that dream come true, you know. If you marry me, you'll be promoted."

James tried to think rationally even though he found Lily's eyes..and hands...and...everything...to be thoroughly distracting. This can't be right. Good things never come so easily....Why me?

As Lily removed his glasses and reached up to kiss his jaw he forced himself to take a small step backwards.

"Wait a second, Evans," he managed with difficulty. "You're up to something..."

"Of course not," she purred. Her hands were playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. He swallowed. "I just liked you from the first time I saw you, that's all."

"What's to like?" he asked bluntly. He really wasn't thinking all too clearly. "When did you start liking me? Was it that cold press incident?"

"Yes, it was then," Lily said, resting her head against his chest. James wondered if she could hear his heart beating erratically through his robes.

"You were so cool, rejecting the girl like that," she said, looking up at him. "You told her your relationship didn't exist anymore. When you said that, I knew that the wizard I was looking for was you. That you'd be willing to enter into a whirlwind relationship, and that you'd have no trouble moving on from it once the love ran out."

That last comment made James snap back to reality.

"Then you've got it wrong," he said, his eyes narrowing. This girl's up to something. "I was merely relaying a message to her from a friend. I was never involved with Meghan—Sirius was. I'm not the man you're looking for."

At his first words, Lily had paused. As he continued, her eyes widened and she abruptly let go of him. "You're joking," she exclaimed, her tone completely different.

What is she after?

James pulled her back to him roughly. "If that's the sort of person you're looking for, then it shouldn't matter if I do this, should it?" He began to push her down on the bed, climbing over her and pinning her arms down with his own.

As he'd expected, she began to struggle and writhe under him. She turned her head away, and when she realized that he wasn't going to let her go, she cried out:

"Stop! You'll hurt the baby!"

James froze. The baby???

***

"All right, all right," Lily said, looking extremely put out. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. James scowled back at her, mentally cursing her for making even scowls look attractive.

"I'll tell you the truth, then," she said. "I'm nearly two months pregnant. And for various reasons, well, ...for one thing, I refuse to get an abortion. For another, I can't marry the child's father. And if I were to tell Terrence about this, he'd definitely make me get an abortion, so I can't do that either. You know Terrence! He's so overprotective of me sometimes it's frightening! He'll go ballistic if he finds out I'm pregnant with no husband in sight!"

"Well, Terrence loves you and—"

"I know he does! And that's the reason I think he'll grow reconciled to a baby once it's born—he'll come to love it, fatherless or not. But I need to have the baby first, and for that, I need to be married!"

James just sat on the bed looking at her blankly. "What?"

"Listen, it would only be a marriage in name," Lily said desperately, trying to look persuasive. "I just need to borrow your name, that's it! When the baby is born in July or August we can get a divorce!" She pulled out a large sheet of parchment that James hadn't noticed previously. "I've laid out all the rules and stipulations of this contract right here! We'll get married, we'll pretend to be a couple for a while, I'll have the baby on my own, and we can get divorced directly after! I'll double your salary and you'll get the promotion at work you've always wanted once Terrence officially retires!"

James was still dumbfounded by what she'd been saying...his mind was reeling. "But if we get divorced, Terrence will kill me!"

Lily almost laughed—the look on her face was victorious, as if she were sure of getting James's consent to this preposterous proposal. "Don't worry about that—I've got it all figured out! I'll just behave really poorly towards you as the marriage progresses, and I'll have affairs with other men so that everyone will sympathize with you, even Terrence! I'll act like a—a disreputable woman!"

"IDIOT!" James found himself yelling before he could even think straight. Lily, taken aback by his outburst, scuttled away from him on the bed. "DON'T HAVE THE BABY! Have you even considered what it would be like for the baby, to grow up with a mother like that?? Just get an abortion!"

Lily flushed. "Look, I'm talking business with you—I didn't bring this up so you could preach at me..."

"Business? You think this is business?" James's eyes had narrowed to slits and his voice had softened dangerously. He picked up the parchment that lay on the bedspread between them and carefully ripped it into several pieces. "That's what I think of your contract. Miss Evans, you've misjudged your man. If I were really who you'd assumed I was from the incident you saw at the Leaky Cauldron, I would probably accept your terms. But there's one thing you didn't get out of the research and memorizing of my background—the fact that my mother was a single mother as well." He looked away from her as he continued to speak. "I've never told anyone about this before, but....my father was a married man when he got my mother pregnant. He didn't intend to leave his wife for her, and since she was a kindhearted person, she never made demands of him and decided to have me and raise me herself." He laughed bitterly. "We weren't rich, like you are...eking out a living for ourselves was a major trial, not to mention all the snubbing we got from people everywhere. My mother died from overwork when I was eleven. It wasn't until I was thirteen that my father decided to take me in, as he didn't have a legitimate son and his wife had died of illness. I grew to love my father, but I never wholly forgave him for causing my mother's death and all those years of misery we'd suffered."

He turned back to Lily suddenly and spoke almost savagely. "Get an abortion. Your having the child like this won't do the child any good...it will just grow up to become someone like me."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING LIKE YOU?" Lily burst out angrily. "You're good-looking and intelligent! You were popular at Hogwarts, and you were Head Boy in your seventh year! You were one of Dumbledore's protégés! We all looked up to you!"

James stopped and stared at Lily hard for a few seconds before averting his eyes and turning away once more. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Besides which," Lily continued, her eyes welling up. "You never regretted being born, did you? It's so good to be alive...you've often had that thought, haven't you?"

James ignored her last speech. "Either way, just don't go through with this. It causes too many problems. I won't tell Terrence—" He was cut off by a pillow to the face.

"FORGET IT!" cried Lily. "JUST FORGET IT! You don't understand.  I won't ask you for help again!" She took off running out of the room.

Without thinking, James gave chase. "Where are you—"

Lily turned to make a face at him before she apparated away.

"APPARATING'S BAD FOR PREGNANT WOMEN!" James yelled after her.

I can't believe she'd go to all that trouble just to have the illegitimate child of some guy who's probably married, with a family. I. Don't. Understand. Women.

But still, as he reluctantly left alone for headquarters, he couldn't help but hear Lily's voice in his head:

It's so good to be alive...you've often had that thought, haven't you?