A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews! I love you all! I probably won't update for a bit - I'm trying to alternate updating my stories and I have a HUGE paper due this Monday. So, anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. And don't forget to reviiew if you have time

New Life

Lily walked down a crowded muggle street in London with her backpack, containing her green Healer's robes, slung over her shoulder. She had had a splitting headache for a few days, and this morning, she had actually been sick. Lily and James had argued for a good half an hour; James didn't want Lily to go to work because she was sick. But Lily, being as stubborn as she was, said that she had to go because St. Mungo's was short of Healers as it was. They argued back and forth until James finally, and uncharacteristically, gave in, realizing that Lily would go to work no matter what.

She turned the corner and saw the Leaky Cauldron. She was on her way to meet James, Alice, Frank, Remus and Elizabeth for drinks. Well, technically, Alice would not be drinking; last week, she found out that she was pregnant.

Last Tuesday, Lily was doing some paperwork on one of her patients when Alice had come into the Healer's lounge. "I need to ask you a huge favor," she said in a rush.

"What?"

"I need a pregnancy test,"

Lily's look of worry changed to excitement in an instant. "Are you serious?"

Alice nodded, grinning. "I'm a week late,"

"Okay, let's get you into a room," Lily lead Alice down the hall to an empty room.

"Alright Alice, go ahead and lie down,"

She did.

"Okay...this is going to take, like, five seconds. All I need to do is a simple spell."

"Alright," she replied in an eager voice.

Lily drew her wand and waved it over Alice's lower abdomen and said, "Gravidus,"

A faint gold mist hovered over Alice's abdomen as Lily tried, and failed, to conceal a smile.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Longbottom. You're going to have a baby," Lily beamed.

000

Remembering this particular memory, Lily grinned as she pulled her coat tighter. As she entered the pub, she immediately saw her friends at a table in the back. Once she sat down, Tom, the barman, came by and asked Lily what she wanted to drink.

"Just a glass of water," she replied, before she could even think. All day, a glass of mead had sounded great, but now she had the chance, something told her not too.

Over the next few hours, Lily, Elizabeth, and Alice talked about her pregnancy while James, Remus and Frank talked about who knows what.

000

The next morning started out just like the previous one, with Lily being sick. Just as yesterday, Lily and James argued if she should go to work or stay at home, but this time James won. And even though James had wanted Lily to fall back asleep, but she went down the stairs to get something to drink.

"Lily, you're sick: go upstairs and go back to bed." James tried to persuade Lily for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"First of all, I'm not that sick–"

"Yes, you are," James cut her off. "Go sit down and I'll get you something to drink,"

He walked into the kitchen as Lily sat at the table. She felt a little better now, but her stomach still felt queasy.

James came back a few minutes later with a glass of water.

"Thank you," she said as she sipped from the glass.

"You are so stubborn," James teased.

"Yeah, almost as stubborn as you," she teased right back.

They laughed at each other for a few minutes. Finally, James realized he was going to be late. He kissed Lily goodbye and Apparated to the Ministry. After he left, Lily moved to the couch to take a nap. Maybe James was right...it wouldn't kill her to stay at home for one day...

000

Lily woke up little after noon, felling much better. She actually felt so good that she seriously considered going in to work, but...now that she was had the day off, she just laid back down.

She couldn't help but think of her best friend. I can't believe Alice is going to have a baby, she smiled to herself. She knew how badly Alice wanted to be a mother, and she couldn't have been happier for her best friend.

So now that's two people that I know are going to have children: my sister and my best friend. Well, at least I'll get to see Alice's baby...

Ever since she had found out that Petunia was pregnant, Lily's mother had been dropping subtle hints about what Lily would start a family as well. You'd think she'd be happy with one pregnant daughter. But Lily had politely told her mother that now probably wasn't the best time. Not that she never wanted to have children – she actually wanted three – but she and James were so active in the Order and he was an Auror...

And I'm sure that the whole morning sickness thing will be a blast, too.

And then it clicked...she had been throwing up the past few mornings...and, now that she thought about it, she was over a week late...

She immediately bolted up right and started to pace her living room.

No...I can't be pregnant...We always use the Contraceptive Charm...

But even as she thought it, she knew it wasn't true. She could easily think of a few times when she and James had gotten a little too caught up in the moment...their anniversary being the most recent...

Finally, she sat down on the couch, breathing unevenly, thinking...Really, there was only one way to put her mind at ease. She laid down on the couch, and just as she had with Alice, waved her wand over her lower abdomen and said, "Gravidus." And just as she had thought – and feared? – a gold mist hovered over her abdomen.

She put her head in her hands and stared at the floor.

Her first reaction was panic. There was no way that she could be mature enough to raise a child – nor James, for that matter. How could they make this work?

"I'm pregnant," she said quietly to herself. But as she actually said it aloud, her thoughts shifted gears.

I'm actually going to have a baby..., she thought as she couldn't help but grin. But her thoughts were interrupted – someone was spinning in the fireplace.

James stepped out of the fireplace, brushing ash off of his black robes. He found Lily staring blankly at him from her spot on the couch.

"What are you doing home so early?" Lily asked, slightly stunned. She was sincerely hoping she would have had more time to soak in this new information before she would have to tell James.

"It was slow, so I came to see how you were feeling," he said as he sat next to Lily.

"Oh...I'm alright," she said quietly.

"You sure?" James looked concerned. "You're acting a little odd,"

She looked into James's hazel eyes...She couldn't hold it off a moment longer. She took James hands in hers.

"I–I really don't know how to say this, James..." she took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant,"

He stared at her for a moment before his eyes widened. "We – we're – ?"

"Yes...we're going to have a baby,"

He kissed her forehead as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm just glad you're alright,"

Lily looked at him, a shocked expression on her face. "Your not scared?"

"Of course I am, but I know you'll be a great mother," he smiled.

Tears fell from her emerald eyes. "Well, I'm scared as hell,"

"Hey, now," he said in a calming voice as he stroked her back with one hand and wiped her tears with the other. "I know that we didn't exactly plan this, but, given everything we've been through, I'm sure we can handle this, too,"

"I still can't believe we're going to be parents," Lily said in awe.

"So how long have you known?"

"About, oh, five minutes." She laughed.

"Do you know when your due date is?"

"No, but I'm guessing late July or early August. I'm going to write to Marlene so we can get an appointment with a Maternity Healer,"

She found some parchment and quickly wrote a letter to Marlene to schedule her an appointment with one of the Maternity Healers.

She had just sent the letter with her owl as she heard James behind her. He snuck his arm around her, resting his hand upon her abdomen.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you...both of you," he said as he kissed Lily's neck.