Epilogue

"Hello sexy lady!" James whispered in his wife's ear when he found her clearing up in the kitchen; he was sweaty and dirty after playing quidditch all day in the rain with his cousins at the Burrow. It was late September and all the boys had decided to get the children together and play a mini tournament, which had gone on quite late, and Holly had decided to stay at home and spend the day catching up on housework. She had been tired of late and after returning to work at the Ministry in the muggle relations department a week earlier she had neglected the house a little. Though James was happy to stay at home with the children and take over the role she had played for so long his idea of clean and tidy was not yet up to Holly's standard and she had been looking forward to a day alone to get it just how she liked it. However, the day had not gone quite to plan as she had remembered something shortly after everyone left and had spent most of the day worrying about it instead.

"Eww, James you're all sweaty!" she shrieked when he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight; she tried to wriggle away but he held her fast and she giggled as he kissed her neck furiously.

"I thought you liked it when I was rough and ready?" he chuckled cheekily in her ear.

"Yeah but not sweaty and muddy! What have you been doing?"

"Well it has rained on and off you know and I had to do a few dives! And…"

"And what?" she asked when he paused and she turned round in his arms to face him wrapping her own around his neck as she did so.

"I fell off," he admitted holding his head down and looking like a young child.

"Aww," she crooned sarcastically and then she chuckled.

"Hey," he pouted, "I hurt myself, you're supposed to give me some sympathy. I got enough taunts from everyone else, even the kids!" he shrieked looking indignant.

"Aww poor James, where did it hurt? Shall I kiss it better?" she teased.

"Right here," he replied quietly pulling back a dirty sleeve and showing her a tiny scratch on his forearm; she looked at it as she would a cut on one of the children's arms and gave it a gentle kiss. "And here," he went on lifting his quidditch shirt and revealing a red patch on his chest which she also kissed tenderly, "and…here," he continued stepping backwards and reaching for the zip of his trousers.

"If you can't reach it by pulling up your trouser leg," she chuckled pushing on his chest, "then you can take care of it yourself!"

"But…" he pouted reaching out for her hand but missing it as she skipped past him and laughed, "I can't do it quite as…as…tenderly as you," he said slyly.

"It'll have to hurt then!" Holly replied, "Where are the kids?" she asked heading into the living room.

"Mum said she'd have them for the night," James answered as he slid across the room and grabbed her in his arms again, "so we're all alone!" he chuckled nibbling at her neck and feeling her lean into him. "So how about I jump in the shower and…maybe you could join me?" he said suggestively wiggling his eyebrow at her.

"Maybe…" she replied quietly, "but," she continued biting her lip and turning to look at him again, "we need to…talk first."

"Oh?" James asked with a cautious look. Since Holly had asked him to come back to her they had been more attentive and intimate with one another than they had been in years but those words still struck a chord inside him and she noticed his face fall a little.

"No, James," she assured him shaking her head and reaching out to touch his face, "not that, I promise. But…" she took his hand and led him into the living room where a warm fire was blazing in the grate and without letting go of his hand she pulled him down beside her on the sofa.

"Are you alright?" he asked noticing her slightly pale face and rubbing her hand gently.

"Well," she coughed as she gazed into his eyes, "I…I don't know," she went on and his heart fell a little.

"Holly are you ill? Have you been to see a healer?" he asked urgently.

"No, no it's nothing like that James," she reassured him with a smile, "but…" she took a deep breath and then continued, "I've been really tired since I went back to work-"

"Understandably," James interrupted.

"Yes…but I don't think that's the reason why," she explained.

"Then…what?" he asked with a curious and completely unaware expression.

"James I…" she paused and took a deep breath, "I think I might be…pregnant." She looked up at him and waited but he simply stared back at her with a bemused expression.

"But…but…how?" he asked blinking at her and trying to judge her own reaction, "I thought you were taking the potion and…"

"I am," she began, "but…when we," she coughed again and continued quietly, "when we split up I…I just stopped, I guess I didn't see the point," she admitted. "I started straight away once you came home," she continued, "but I guess that week sort of made all the difference and…well…" she shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "So what…what do you think?" she asked knowing full well that they had both agreed after the triplets that they didn't want any more children.

"What do you think?" he asked still holding tightly to her hand.

"I…I don't know," she admitted, "I mean I know we said we didn't want any more and…and I've just gone back to work but…but I'm not unhappy about it. I just don't know if it's what we wanted. I suppose I'll be sad to come out of work again now but-"

"Why would you need to do that?" James interrupted.

"Well, a newborn," she said, "I thought you might want me to-"

"Holly, I said I would take care of things so you could do something else and that still stands, whatever comes along. I missed lots of little things with the triplets and if I get a second chance then…then I want to be right here to take it." He smiled at her reassuringly and tugged gently on her hands.

"So you're not…mad?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad?" he asked tugging her forwards and holding her shoulders.

"Well it's unplanned and…"

"It's another child, another one of our children," he whispered stressing the word 'our' "and I could never be mad about that Holly. I love them all dearly and I told you once we would prove to the world we weren't just getting married because of Isabella; we would make lots of babies and show them we were meant to be," he smiled leaning over to kiss her. "What if it's triplets again?" he asked with a gleeful expression.

"If it's triplets again we are selling two of them!" Holly laughed looking at him with a horrified expression. "But seriously," she continued, "Are you happy about this?"

"I'm ecstatic about it," he grinned, "If you are," he added with a wily look.

"I think I am," Holly replied, "I just need to get used to the idea! I never thought I would have six children though."

"You didn't? There was a time I never even thought I would have one!" he laughed as he wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her gently down on top of him as he laid back on the couch.

"James you're getting mud all over the place," she chided as she looked down at him with a reproachful stare.

"I think we're going to be getting a lot of other messy stuff all over the place soon," he chuckled back as he rolled Holly over and cocooned her beneath him. "And I promise I'll learn to keep up the house to your standards!" he continued as he glanced around at the bit of cleaning she had managed to do in the room.

"Well…I…just like it…" she stuttered biting her lip and looking coyly at him.

"Cleaner than I do it," he finished for her before rubbing her nose with his own and smiling.

"Well…it's just that you've been out of the habit for so long and you don't have quite-" she tried to reason.

"Have the same knack that you do?" he laughed reaching down to tickle her.

"Yes…er…I mean no…I," she spluttered.

"Holly, stop trying," he said with a half smile then he leaned down to kiss her passionately in the lips; she moaned softly at him and wound her arms around his neck and into his hair tugging it gently so his lips crushed hers a little. At the same time James moved his own hands and started to slide them up the bottom of the thin vest top she wore until he closed one over her cupped breast.

"And what might I be able to do for you?" she asked as his fingers tried to make their way beneath the material of her bra.

"Well I thought we might as well make the most of your…situation!" he chuckled hungrily.

"Because we never take advantage when I'm not pregnant?" she laughed.

"Well…" he began kissing her neck and continuing intermittently, "it's…just…that…this…time…we…definitely… know…that…we're safe!" She groaned again instead of answering when he touched her nipple and with her own hands she began to lift up the muddy quidditch top he wore.

"Merlin James the mud's everywhere, what did you do? Roll in it?" she asked as she saw the dried mud which she had just felt on his body.

"Well…" he replied coyly, "I did kind of dump Isabella into it because she was being squeamish!" he admitted and Holly looked at him aghast.

"I bet she loved that!" she shrieked. "Come on," she added chuckling and holding him tight.

"Where?" he asked with a curious expression.

"Into the shower!" she replied with a twinkle in her eye then she planted a kiss on his lips and apparated them both upstairs into the en suite bathroom.

They almost toppled when they landed in the shower tray and Holly giggled as their lips parted so they could steady themselves. With a flick of his wand James turned on the showerhead and cold water gushed out making her scream loudly; he watched her and laughed jumping out of the way before it hit his body but she grabbed his hand and dragged him beneath the stream before it warmed up. "I was intending on getting undressed first," she scolded looking down at her drenched floor length gypsy skirt and t shirt.

"Well the clothes needed a clean too, kill two birds with one stone!" he laughed pulling her against his body and sliding the wet clothes from her body as the water turned warm. She eyed him with a frown and then joined in pulling his garments from his body until they were both naked. They slathered each other in soap and bubbles; their hands slipping and sliding over each others' bodies into intimate places, touching and stroking while they both groaned deeply. James took time to slip his fingers in and around between her legs and eventually she grabbed tight hold of him and cried out; then he wrapped his arms around her from behind; pushed her against the wall of the shower and entered her slowly thrusting himself back and forth until he had released inside her and they were both panting raggedly. "I love you Holly Potter," he panted in her ear while his hands continued to slide all over her body. She turned in his embrace and kissed him longingly showing him that her feelings were the same through a soft intimate gesture. James picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the bathroom to the large, soft, downy bed where he laid her gently down, still wet but happy and satisfied. He clambered up beside her and they lay comfortably with one another, enjoying being alone for a short while without the worry of anyone else but knowing that in a few months time there would be another little someone to worry about too. James slid his hand gently over her rounded abdomen which had never quiet flattened back out after carrying the triplets and he chuckled at her.

"What?" she asked turning to face him and smiling curiously.

"Six children! We're definitely going to beat Victoire in the baby stakes now!" he laughed remembering the days when he had scoffed her for wanting a family as large as their Grandparents'. But he could not be happier about it, James Potter loved every one of his children equally and would still be happy if another six came along; he was a family man and enjoyed every minute of it.

"You're sure that you're okay with it?" she asked coyly stroking his chest with one finger.

"Perfectly," he replied kissing her forehead.

"Even if I go back to work afterwards?" she continued tentatively.

"Holly we already decided this, you're back at work and I'll look after the house and the children, one more will not make a difference!"

"Oh it will," she chuckled, "changing nappies, two hourly feeds and the other five running around as well, it was bad enough when I just had Isabella running around and Daniel in nappies never mind those three tearaways, are you sure you can handle it?" she asked seriously.

"Er…" he said slowly and then with a cheeky smile he added, "so we hire a nanny!" And then he leaned over her with one arm and kissed the most important woman in his life; the woman who he now knew needed him in every possible way and the woman who was going to give birth to his sixth child and complete his growing family.