"Harry, I just don't know what's going to happen to us," Lily Potter said to her infant son. She cradled him even closer to her, trying to find comfort in the warm, expansive heat of the fire. Harry simply smiled up at her and babbled a bit.

Lily smiled briefly, but then her face melted again into an expression of worry and her gaze left her son and drifted to the picture of her and James that was sitting on the mantle. The figures in the frame waved at her happily and embraced each other. She wondered if James was all right, wherever he was with Remus and Sirius and the other members of the Order. Lily spent a lot of her time those days wondering if James was all right.

The clock on the wall chimed loudly, startling Harry, who had been near sleep. Lily shushed him halfheartedly, more concerned with the late hour. Every minute that passed by seemed to her to be another chance for James to get captured, or hurt, or worse by someone on the other side.

Sometimes she cursed herself and James for becoming so involved in this war. Their cause was noble, but she was starting to think that the nobility was not an adequate price to pay for her baby boy's future.

After a few moments Harry quieted again, and Lily stood up and carried him to his crib. She kissed his forehead and placed him on the blankets, whispering "I love you, Harry darling," as the tiny boy's eyelids fell closed. Extinguishing the candle by the door on her way out, Lily headed back to the front room and seated herself on the sofa with a book.

Her distraction was not effective, but that didn't matter much because scant moments later the door lurched open and James trudged in, dark circles prevalent on his exhausted face. Lily bolted from her seat and ran to him, placing her arm around him and leading him to the sofa.

"What happened?" she asked, her eyes searching his, "Is everything all right?"

James smiled at her, "We caught two of them tonight. Everyone's fine, just a few minor injuries all together. It's just that I'm just about dead where I sit."

Lily returned his smile,"I'll make you some tea," she said, rising.

Her husband grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him, "Now why in the world would you want to do that? All I need is you right now, my dear," he said, that arrogant grin she pretended to hate overtaking his visage.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Potter!" she said in a tone of mock offense, "One would think that you are making a proposal that I do not approve of one bit. I-"

Before she could continue, James snaked a hand around her shoulder and clapped it over her mouth.

"Shhh..." he said, in her ear, "You'll wake the baby." He took his hand off of her mouth and kissed her deeply. When they finally broke their kiss James said, "Let's not move for, say, three days, all right? I don't think I could muster up the energy."

Lily laughed quietly and snuggled in closer to her husband, pushing her worries away and concentrating instead on the firm beating of his heart, and heart she believed could stand up to anything.