The "Harry Potter" characters belong to JK Rowling, her associates and affiliates. CPT Holdings Inc. and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment own "Bewitched" and "Tabitha". For entertainment purposes only. There. I have spoken.

A/N According to more than one website, Adam was a warlock in "Bewitched" and a mortal in "Tabitha". For this fanfic, he's a mortal. It just works better that way. And all due respect to anyone who disagrees.

TABITHA'S LAST BROADCAST

Tabitha brushed her hair and checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror as she got ready for work. Lupin was downstairs waiting to escort her; he had come for dinner that night as he often did. She and Lupin did their best to keep Sirius shored up emotionally, but the warming spring weather was affecting him too. Sirius wanted out in the worst way. Tabitha was grateful for Lupin's help, but it wouldn't be long now before Lupin would have to do it all himself.

Tabitha had been experiencing frequent, painless false-labor contractions all day. She debated whether or not to even go to work tonight, but she was afraid that if she took the night off, she would have to tell Sirius why, then he would fuss over her until she was driven crazy. Of course, false-labor could turn into true labor at any moment, but she wasn't alone in the studio. If necessary, her producer could take over if she needed to make a hasty exit.

She walked down the steps, fiddling with an earring, and heard not two, but three voices coming from the area of the fireplace. The extra voice sounded young, like a kid. Who had come to visit while she was upstairs?

Tabitha was curious, and she followed the sound of the voices. By the time she was halfway to the door, she could hear Sirius and Remus talking to each other. She heard the names "James" and "Snape", but the wizards became quiet when she entered the room.

"What's up guys? I thought I heard somebody else here, but I must have been mistaken," Tabitha said as she lowered herself onto a firm chair. Cushy chairs were just too hard to get out of nowadays without help.

Sirius and Remus, who were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, gave each other a look before Sirius answered. "We were talking to Harry. He just flooed us with some questions." Sirius didn't want to tell her what the message was, or what Harry had seen in the Pensieve. Sirius knew Tabitha would have been disappointed in him for his part in the whole episode, and he didn't want to look bad in front of her.

"You ready to go, Tabitha?" Remus asked, and Tabitha nodded as she heaved herself off the chair for probably her last broadcast in several weeks.

TABITHA'S LABOR

Tabitha's instincts had been correct. She got through her show without any incident and Remus took her home. She dropped into bed and fell into a sound sleep, only to be awoken by a sensation like an iron band being squeezed around her middle. Placing her hand over her belly, she noted that it felt firm like a basketball. She picked up her watch to see the time, then she wrote the time down and closed her eyes and waited for the contraction to pass.

Her uterus unclenched, and she felt the reassuring feeling of the baby moving. There was nothing to do but wait for the next one, and sure enough, the next contraction came. Tabitha looked at her watch again. The contractions were 7 minutes apart. Dr. Bombay would want her going to St. Mungo's when they were 5 minutes apart. After two more contractions, just to make sure of the timing, she slid out of bed and crept down the hall into Sirius' room.

Sirius sat bolt upright when Tabitha shook him. "What, what!"

"Relax, Sirius, I just need to tell you."

He took her hand, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Sirius, I just wanted to tell you I'll be calling my mother soon--I'll be going to the hospital soon."

"How soon?"

"It's hard to tell. Another hour or two? I just wanted to put you on alert, as it were."

"Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine. Remember, I've done this before."

Sirius sat with his back against the headboard, and Tabitha crossed her legs under her, sitting Indian style, facing him. A frown passed over his face.

"What is it? Tabitha asked him.

"I feel so powerless--a prisoner in my own house. I should be helping you right now, but I can't even take you to St. Mungo's."

Tabitha thought of reminding him that she and her mother had everything under control, but looking at his frustration, she decided the better of it. He was sitting with his arms crossed in front of him, staring moodily. Another contraction hit her, and she shifted her weight so she was sitting perfectly upright, eyes lowered so he couldn't see her discomfort. When it passed, she crawled up to the head of the bed and sat next to him, looking down into what lap she had left.

Sirius looked over at her, troubled. She looked up at him and said, "I want to tell you, thank you for letting us stay here, disrupting your life, being a friend to me and Sarah, for teaching me what you know about magic..."

"You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do. Don't you see? I had no idea where my life was headed a few months ago. I needed to get away from the places that reminded me of what I had lost, and you gave me a place to tend my hurts and plan for the future. Don't underestimate that gift. Who knows where I would be if you hadn't opened your home to us?"

Sirius smiled at her, grimly. "You make it sound so important."

"It is important. To me."

Sirius put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Are you in any pain?" He asked.

"No." Which was true when she was between contractions. But then another one started and she wasn't able to hide it this time. He pulled his arm out from behind her and grabbed her hand.

"Don't jostle me," she whispered and closed her eyes until it passed.

"That one hurt."

"They all hurt, but I can handle it." Tabitha crawled off the bed and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To take a shower before I go."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Tabitha put her hand on her hip, exasperated. This was exactly why she had gone to work last night. He was making her nervous already. "Everybody in this room who has ever given birth, raise your hand." She looked around the room. "Gee, only me. Looks like I get my own way. Don't worry!"