Distractions:

Doe had figured the best way to distract herself was to keep busy. Now that there wasn't anyone waiting for her to come home from work anymore, she stayed much later than she should. She completely threw herself into work for both the auror office and the Order. Her personal life was in shambles, but at least she was doing work to stop Voldemort.

Both Sirius and Lily were worried about her. Lily was much more aggressive about it. She constantly sent her owls making sure she was okay, and had taken to spending much more time around her apartment. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to crumble, even though she wouldn't let herself do that.

Sirius, on the other hand, was also concerned and voiced it, but he was different than Lily was. He would let her make her own mistakes, but always be around if she needed help dealing with them later. She didn't like to share them with Sirius, though. It wasn't fair to him. He was just as good of friends with Remus as he was with her. It wasn't fair of her to put any part of it on him.

Mainly, she just immersed herself in learning more about Alecto Carrow. She wanted to begin tailing her and knew Moody wouldn't even consider it until he thought she knew her well enough to do it.

So Doe had thrown herself into every detail of Alecto's past. She knew where she lived, who she spent her time with and what she did for a living. It felt strange sometimes, almost like she knew her life better than she knew her own.

" Meadowes, I hate to interrupt your self-inflicted solitude, but we have an Order meeting" Sirius said walking into her cubicle.

" I know, Let's go" Doe said leaving Alecto's folder in my cubicle drawer and following Sirius into the atrium.

They left the ministry quickly. It was pouring rain outside and they apparated quickly to avoid getting drenched.

It was raining at the Diggle Manor too. Sirius and Doe had to dart to the door and they still ended up soaking wet.

They knocked on the door, freezing from the frigid air and the rain.

James opened the door, " There you are, almost everyone is here" he said. They darted into the house quickly, thankful for the warm air.

" I see you didn't avoid the rain" Lily commented as they walked in.

Doe shook her hair out at her, " Nope"

" Ew, Doe." She said jumping back to avoid the water she had sprayed at her. They both laughed lightly.

" Sorry, we're late" Sirius told James, " but Doe seems hell bent on catching all the Death Eaters on her own"

Dpe shoved Sirius in the arm, " That's not a bad thing"

Sirius rolled his eyes at her and they followed Lily and James over to where they were sitting. Most of the other Order members were here but they were waiting on a few more.

" Where's Peter?" Sirius asked James.

James shrugged, " Who knows, he's never around anymore, maybe he's got himself a girlfriend, but there's Moony"

Doe shouldn't have looked up. She should have heard the name and joined in on the conversation between Lily and Alice about the newest Witch Weekly article.

But she had looked up, and she saw Remus enter. He looked tired. He had pronounced dark circles under his eyes and she noticed a new small scratch under his eye.

For a moment, they made eye contact. His eyes softened. They blinked and looked down, becoming very interested in a loose string on the sleeve of her jumper.

" Hey Prongs, Padfoot" Remus said sitting down on the other side of James.

" Hey Moony" Sirius said patting Remus on the shoulder.

It felt wrong. Very wrong.

Ever since she was fifteen, there had never been a moment where Remus and Doe were together but we didn't acknowledge each other.

" So any idea what this meeting's going to be about?" James asked filling in the uncomfortable silence that had settles over us.

" Moody said something about new targets" Sirius added.

" Let's just hope it's not us" James said with a weak smile.

" The Marauders?" Sirius asked in fake horror, " I'd like to see them try"

James laughed, " That's the spirit"

Peter scampered in through the front door, soaked entirely and sat down at the table. He was the last one to arrive.

Dumbledore stood up, " This will be a short meeting. I just have a few things to discuss with you all. Recently, the Mckinnon family has spoken out publicly their views on Voldemort and this has made them a target. It will on the Order members to make sure no harm comes to them. They have refused to go into hiding, so we must be guard them and make sure no Death Eaters can attack"

Doe looked around the room and realized Marlene wasn't present.

Caradoc Dearborn, who had been seeing Marlene for a few months looked nervous.

" You will be approached with patrolling schedules by either myself or Arabella"

That was all Dumbledore had to tell them. He left early and the rest of the Order members gathered around, engaging in conversation and drawing up schedules to patrol.

" Um, Doe. Can I talk to you for a second?" Lily asked, pulling her away from the conversation she was having with Sirius and Frank.

" Sure, Lily. What's going on?" she asked her.

Lily took a deep breath and smiled, " Okay, so I think I may be pregnant"

Doe squealed with delight, attracting quite a few wayward looks, " Oh, really Lily? Thats wonderful!"

Lily shushed her, " I don't know, I'm just guessing, but I really hope so"

She smiled widely, " This is going to be so great" she said clapping her hands.

Lily grinned, " So, will you come with me tomorrow to St. Mungos to check? I was thinking maybe we could go on your lunch break?"

" I would love too" she told her. A giant smile was plastered across her face. Lily could be pregnant. This was great news.

Lily pulled her into a hug, " Thank you"

" I'm happy to go" she assured her.

" Good" Lily said with a smile and they walked back over to where James and Sirius were standing. They were no having a conversation with Remus and Peter.

" What were you two so giggly about?" Sirius asked her.

Lily only grinned, " Oh, nothing"

" Girl stuff' she told Sirius.

Sirius shook his head, " You two are mad. I'm not even going to try to understand you"

" I should go" Remus said quickly to the other Marauders, " I have an early morning"

" Alright, well bye Moony" James said.

Remus waved goodbye and quickly left Headquarters.

" He left because I came over" Doe said solemnly.

" Probably" Sirius agreed.

Lily smacked him, " You're such an idiot, Black"

" Well I mean, Doe's right" Sirius said holding his hands up.

" Lily, he's right, Lily. Don't worry about it" Doe told her.

Lily shrugged, " Well personally, I think you and Remus are both being a little silly about this, I mean you love each other"

Doe bit her lip, " Actually, you know I should go to. I have some things to get done"

Lily's expression flickered worry, " Do you want me to go with you? I could stay over"

He shook her head, " No, Lily don't worry about. I'll see you tomorrow" she told her.

" I'll walk you out, I'm going too" Peter said.

She waved goodbye to Sirius, Lily and James and followed Peter out of Headquarters.

It was dark, but the raining had stopped.

Peter and Doe walked down the road nearing the spot where they could apparate.

" How have you been Peter?" Doe asked him, " I haven't seen much of you around lately"

Peter shrugged, " Oh, you know...uh work has kept me pretty busy"

" I think James thinks you've got a girlfriend, and that's why you're always out late" she teased him.

Peter laughed loudly, " No, trust me. If I had a girlfriend I would be very open about it"

Doe laughed too, " That's what I told James"

" Well Prongs doesn't listen very well" he added.

" Very true" she agreed.

" You'll be okay getting home then?" Peter asked.

Doe nodded, " Yeah, thanks Peter"

" See you, Doe" he said and apparated with a quick pop. She followed his lead and apparated to her own apartment.

" Oh, I'm going to feel very stupid if I'm not pregnant" Lily said bouncing up and down. They were sitting in one of the rooms in St. Mungos. They were waiting for Healer Bones.

" You usually know your own body pretty well" she told her, so if you think you are, then you probably are"

" I just really hope so" she said, continuing to bounce her leg up and down.

" Have you told James?" she asked her.

She nodded, " Yes. He wanted to come, but he's very busy at work"

" Well you've got me" she said taking her hand and squeezing it.

She smiled. She looked very nervous. She knew how badly she wanted it to be true.

" You know" Lily said, " the last time we were here, it was you who we thought was pregnant"

Doe shuddered violently, " Please, don't remind me" she said quickly.

Lily looked at her with an eyebrow raised, " You miss him, don't you?"

Doe sighed, " Of course I do, Lily"

She missed him everyday. That was the thing about being with someone for as long as she had been with Remus. They become such an important part of your life that when they're no longer in it, something feels off.

" Have you tried going to him?" Lily asked, " you know he loves you, I mean the reason he isn't with you is because he loves you"

She shook her head, " No, I'm not going to force myself on him. He made a decision and I have to respect it"

Lily sighed, " Okay"

The door to room opened and Healer Bones walked in, " Lily Potter, right?" he asked Lily checking her folder.

Lily nodded.

He turned to her, " Hello, Doe"

" Hi Edgar" she beamed at him, " How's Amelia?"

He laughed, " She's a pain in my ass, but she's good"

Doe laughed. He turned back to Lily, " So you want to see if your pregnant right?"

" Yes, I think I am, but I could be wrong" she said.

Healer Bones took out his wand and held it over her stomach. It lit up. A Blue light shining from the end of his wand.

" It's a boy!" he said happily.

Lily's eye widened, " So I am then? I am pregnant?"

Healer Bones smiled widely, " Yup, and you're having a boy"

Lily's hand flew to her mouth and she could hardly contain her stomach.

" A little boy" Doe said happily, " Congrats Lily!"

She pulled her into a hug. Healer Bones left the room, giving them a moment alone.

" I'm having a baby, Doe" Lily said happily.

" I know" She told her, " and you are going to be the best mom ever Lily"

She smiled, " I really hope so"

Doe nodded, " Any boy with parents like you and James is going to grow up to be one amazing kid"

Lily practically skipped out of the room, and as she did, she almost bumped straight into Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

" So as long as you eat regularly and maintain a healthy weight, your baby should be fine" Healer Bones told them.

They both scowled at Lily and Doe before leaving in the elevator.

" She's pregnant too?" Lily said angrily, " I'd hate to see any child of theirs"

" Evil, slimy little git" Doe assured her. They were getting into the elevator when she was stopped.

" Meadowes? What are you doing here?" Moody asked.

She was shocked to find Moody here. He was supposed to be at the Office.

" Oh, nothing. I was here for Lily" Doe told him, " why are you here?"

Moody looked down, " Black had a little incident. I was making sure he was okay"

" Sirius" Doe asked frantically," What happened?"

" He got cornered while delivering something, he's in the room down the hall" Moody said.

Doe didn't wait for him to add anything. She ran to the room where Moody had said he was. The door was open. Sirius was lying on the bed. His shirt open. He had a large wound on his chest, that was secured with a bandage and a young blonde healer was attending to a cut on his arm.

" Doe?" he asked when she came into the room.

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug, " Are you okay?" she demanded.

" Your girlfriend?" the healer asked Sirius, a small smile playing on her lips.

Sirius laughed and shook his head, " My best friend".

" Don't worry," the healer assured her, " It's nothing major, we've got him cleaned up". She threw away the bandage wrappers and left the room.

" You promise you're okay?" Doe asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sirius nodded, " It's nothing, calm down"

" What were you doing here, anyway?" Sirius asked.

Doe frowned, " I can't tell you".

Sirius sat up, " Excuse me? You tell me everything"

" I don't tell you everything" Doe said quietly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows, " Yes you do, we don't keep secrets from each other"

She sighed, " Siri, it's not really my secret to tell"

" Whose is it then?" Sirius asked crossing his arms.

" Lily's" she told him.

" Is this about her being pregnant?" Sirius asked, " because Prongs already told me"

" He told you?" she asked.

Sirius nodded, " Last night, he wasn't sure though"

" Well she definitely is" she told him, " and it's a boy"

Sirius eyes widened, " Wow, I can't believe there's going to be a little Prongs running around"

" I know, it's crazy. Makes you feel old, huh?" she said.

Sirius nodded bleakly, " Very"

" So how exactly do we determine if someone has been put under the imperius curse?" Arthur Weasley asked Dumbledore at the end of the Order Meeting a week later, " because I am still shaky on that"

" They're are many warning signs" Moody answered quickly.

" Yes, all that can be discussed at a later time" Dumbledore said, " because now, I have some good news to deliver"

" I am happy to announce that congratulations are in order to both Lily & James Potter and Frank and Alice Longbottom, both of which are expecting their first child!" Dumbledore said proudly.

Doe clapped with everyone else. While she had known that Lily was pregnant, she didn't know that Alice was.

" I think a celebration is in order" Sirius said loudly, charming a few bottles of Black Cherry oak mead to appear as well as a stack of glasses.

" You look for any excuse to drink, don't you Padfoot?" James asked with a laugh.

" Of course" Sirius said filling his own glass with a liberal amount of mead.

Soon, the Order meeting had turned into a small party. Everyone was gathered around in conversation, with drinks in their hands.

Lily & James, and Alice & Frank were surrounded by well-wishers, and Doe noticed how happy they both seemed.

Sirius was enjoying himself too. He had two glasses of the mead and was stumbling around the party very tipsy. Doe was engaged in a conversation with Slughorn about the potions they used as aurors when he came over and threw his arm around her shoulder and placed a very wet kiss on her cheek.

" Hello Mr. Black" Slughorn said to him, smiling slightly at Sirius' appearance. Sirius kept his arm around her.

" 'Ello Slughorn, how are you?" Sirius asked happily.

" I'm very well" Slughorn told him.

" I think I need to borrow Doe for a moment" Sirius said with a slight slur.

" Go ahead, " Slughorn said, " I need to offer my congratulations to Mrs. Potter anyway"

Sirius led her away from Slughorn and over to the other side of the party.

" What's up Siri?' she asked him.

" Hold on" he said walked over to someone tapping them on the shoulder and bringing them over to them.

It was Remus.

" You two need to talk to each other" Sirius said sternly, " and I need another drink"

Sirius left Remus and Doe standing together, walking back to the drink table.

Remus and Doe were left facing each other in a very uncomfortable situation.

" I'm sorry, he's drunk. I don't know why he did that" she blurted out quickly. She could feel her face reddening as she blushed. She wished she was anywhere but here.

" No, it's fine" Remus said quickly.

It was silent for a minute.

" So, how are you?" Remus asked softly.

She blinked quickly, his question had caught her off guard.

" Fine" she said quietly, " and you?"

He nodded, " I'm fine too"

There was another awkward silence.

" I should go make sure Sirius isn't drowning himself in the Mead or something" she said quickly, giving herself an out.

Remus looked as if he had wanted to say something, but he didn't. He just nodded.

Doe found Sirius half-crouched over the drink cart, obviously drunk.

" Hey, Doe. It's Doe, she's my best friend" he said drunkenly to Caradoc Dearborn.

Caradoc laughed, " I know, I've known her for nine years, Sirius"

Sirius smiled and wrapped his arm around her again. Half of his weight leaning against her. He was very drunk. She needed to bring him home.

" I need to get you home" she told him.

Sirius pouted, " I don't want to go home" he whined drunkenly.

" You have to" she told him.

He frowned, " Where's Prongs? I have to say goodbye"

" Come on, let's find him" she told Sirius leading him over to the couch where Lily and James were sitting with Alice and Frank.

" There's Padfoot" James said to Lily.

" We were wondering where he had gone off to" Lily told her.

" He's tossed" she told them, " I'm going to bring him home"

" Do you need help?" James asked her.

She shook her head, " No, he just wanted to say goodbye to you, I think"

Sirius now was very animatedly playing with her plait.

" Okay, well patronus me if you need help" James said.

" Thank James, be careful getting home okay guys" Doe told them

They both nodded and Doe dragged Sirius out of Headquarters and down the path to apparate.

" Where are we going, Doe?" Sirius asked with a yawn.

" Home" she told him and held onto Sirius so he could side-along apparate.

She apparated quickly into the living room of Sirius large flat, and led Sirius into his bedroom.

He was only half-conscious at this point. She helped him to shrug out of his auror robes and onto his bed.

Doe pulled the blankets over him and was about to leave when she heard him call her name.

" Doe?" he called softly.

" Yeah?" she asked coming over to the edge of his bed. He scrunched up his face and rolled over onto the pillow.

" Nevermind" he said.

A moment later he was snoring. She closed the door to his room and apparated back to her own apartment.