I apologize for the delay. Here is the next chapter and I will see you at the bottom!

I open my mouth to try to say…something, although I don't know exactly what, when the Healer comes back in. She still is annoyingly cheerful.

"Well, Miss Evans, you are free to go," she chirps brightly. "I would recommend you stay on bed rest and avoid a large amount of stress for the next two weeks, until you are in your third trimester. After that, you should be fine. And don't worry if you feel those contractions again. Unless they are a sharp pain or your water breaks, all you need to do is breathe, drink water, and relax."

Yeah, I'll relax. When this woman gets away from me and after I tell James that I fancy the pants off him. Now there's an image…

We Floo back home, through my still extra-large fireplace. Without saying anything – which I know is mean of me – I walk to my room, change my clothes, and go to sleep. I'm sorry, I know I owe James an explanation, but I'm exhausted.

I wake up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon and…pancakes? I manage to get up by myself, but I'm thinking that eventually I'll have to get James to come in here and tug me out of bed.

It is eggs and bacon and pancakes. The man is amazing. It makes me want to kiss him – but I guess I shouldn't, since I haven't yet told him why I keep kissing him.

He hears me come into the kitchen and turns around, frowning. "The Healer said you're supposed to stay in bed. Go back to your room, I'll bring you food in a few minutes."

Rolling my eyes, I continue into the kitchen to grab some tea. I grab the mug and turn around to find James staring at me. Actually, I think the more appropriate word would be glaring.

"What?"

He huffs. "Go back to your room. I'll make your tea." James reaches for my mug, but I snatch it away from him.

"Oh no, you won't! The last thing the baby needs is the sugar overdose you almost gave us the last time you tried to make my tea." He looks kind of sheepish at this, and I smile and pat his arm. "I'll go back to my room as soon as I make my tea. Being on my feet for a few minutes won't hurt me or the baby. And it's better for your health if you let me." James finally cracks something resembling a smile and turns back to the food.

Ten minutes later, he has escorted me to back to my room with a plate of food and a mug of tea, supervising as I slide between the covers and get situated. I really hope our son is as sweet with his wife as James is with me.

But I'm not James's wife.

Actually, I don't know what I am to James right now. Maybe now would be a good time for that discussion or explanation.

"James?"

He turns to face me – he had been on his way out of the room – and seems to know what I'm going to bring up.

"Don't worry about it right now, Lily," he says with a smile. "We can talk about it when you're rested and are able to pace frantically like I know you will want to." Before I can even respond, he's left. And the thing is, he's totally right. For a conversation like this, I need to be able to pace. Frantically, like he said.

I didn't know it was possible to literally go stir crazy. Let me tell you, being on bed rest for two weeks will do it to you. I read pretty much every book I own, and several of James's as well. Even the ones on Quidditch! If I could have, I would have cleaned!

I feel bad for James though – he's been pretty much taking care of me, cooking most of my meals and everything, and I haven't exactly been pleasant. At least, not during the second week. I started using his bathroom just so I could walk for awhile. And I drank at least a gallon of tea a day. Not only was it an excuse to get up and move around, it makes you have to use the loo like nobody's business.

James started getting cranky towards the end of my bed rest as well. I think he was both nervous about the upcoming discussion – which I had tried several times to discuss anyways – and getting aggravated at me for my refusal to stay in bed all day, every day.

A girl can only handle so much.

A pregnant girl can handle even less.

Finally, I'm off bed rest. I spend most of the day walking around just because I can. And I go outside, which is even nicer, even though it's been rather warm lately. I guess it's better than last month when it was freakishly chilly because of the dementors around. James tries to keep things about the looming war from me, but I'm not a total idiot. Voldemort has been around since we were in school. Things are just more dangerous now.

Sirius stops by to check on me while James is at work – I guess they both knew I would be up and about way more than I had ever been before in my life.

And he decides he wants to give me advice.

"Look Lils," he says in what could almost be a practical tone of voice, "James has always liked you. And you know I love you, you're like my sister, but I don't think you're being very fair with him. You didn't start to develop feelings for him until you got pregnant, so how do you know that what you are feeling is real, and not just because of hormones or whatever?"

I open my mouth to retort, and then slowly close it.

What if he's right? What if what I'm feeling for James is just because of hormones caused by mini-James? That really wouldn't be fair to him, would it? Either of them really.

Crap. Now what am I going to do?

I mean, I know James and I need to talk. And he's probably going to be expecting it to be brought up soon now that I'm off bed rest, but what do I tell him?

Sirius is kind enough to leave after giving me that food for thought and so now all I can do is pace and wait for James to come home.

I really might as well be his wife. I worry over him like one.

Oh, and I'm pregnant with his kid like one too.

Finally he comes home, and even though he's not late and he's been at a desk all day and not in any direct danger, I'm still so very grateful to see him that I could have flung myself at him. But that might have resulted in him toppling over backwards with my fat ass on top of him…and I don't think it would have been very pretty.

So maybe what I think I feel for him is real?

But I don't think I'm going to know for sure until the baby is born. That sucks. Like, a lot.

I let him go get something to drink – butterbeer while I still drink tea – before using that line that nobody likes to hear.

"We need to talk."

He doesn't look surprised or anything – he's probably been expecting it since the second he woke up this morning, considering how many times I tried to bring it up over the last two weeks. He just sips his butterbeer and nods before walking over to the couch and sitting.

I sit next to him…somehow…and he shifts so his arm is draped over the back of the couch behind me.

It's kind of awkward. Well, James seems to be perfectly at ease, but I feel awkward. Really, really awkward. I have no clue how to begin this conversation.

Luckily, James seems to sense that and so he starts the conversation off.

"About the kissing…"

He's very blunt. Very…take-charge. It's kind of hot.

Anyways…

"If you want to blame it on hormones, then I'd be willing to forget about it."

My jaw practically hits the floor. "R-really?"

He nods. "I would obviously prefer that that not be the reason, but if it is then I understand."

I stare at my hands for a moment or two. And this time, I know he feels awkward too. "I don't know if that's the reason or not," I say honestly. He shifts next to me and I look at him. His face is practically unreadable, which is saying something.

"Explain that, please." James says, but doesn't meet my gaze.

"Well…" I say slowly, "I think I like you. Like, actually like you. But I also think that the little one is influencing me slightly and so I don't know just how genuine my feelings are. And it wouldn't be fair to any of us to start something without us knowing one hundred percent how we feel."

Finally he meets my gaze. "I know how I feel Lily. It's the same as I've pretty much always felt. But you are right – it wouldn't be fair, especially not to the little one, for us to start something without being totally sure about where it would go."

Who knew James Potter could be so level-headed?

We're silent again, and it isn't as totally awkward as it was before.

Then my mouth does that whole 'speaking-before-allowing-my-brain-to-process-what-I'm-going-to-say' thing.

"What did you mean about how you've always felt?"

I blush and stare at my hands again.

James shifts next to me again, and I can tell he feels slightly uncomfortable.

"You don't have to answer," I say in a rush.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He pauses. "I know that in school I always made it seem like I was asking you out to annoy you or because I found you a challenge, but there was more to it than that. I actually genuinely had feelings for you, and I still do. And part of me regrets not being more serious about the way I asked you out, because maybe you would have said yes at some point. It might not have taken you getting pregnant randomly to get us to be civil to each other."

We both sort of laugh at that last statement, and I feel safe looking up at him again. He's smiling down at me and his hazel eyes are sort of twinkling behind his glasses.

"You should move," I say softly. His brow furrows. "If you don't move, I might kiss you again," I clarify.

James smiles. "And that's a bad thing?" He turns slightly so he's facing me more and is slightly closer.

"Yes," I breathe, "since I don't know exactly how I feel about you and I don't want to lead you on or something…"

But he kisses me anyway. I almost wish he was a bad kisser so I would have a reason to push him away or something.

Since I don't, I just enjoy the lovely snogging session we end up having. For about thirty minutes. We only paused for oxygen a few times, and even those pauses weren't long enough for me to clear my head and stop it.

And I must say, James looks even more delicious after a half hour of snogging.

Finally I come to my senses enough to somehow stand up and walk to the other side of the room.

"Okay," I say, still trying to even out my breathing. James looks highly pleased with himself. "We are not going to do this." As his face starts to fall, I hurry to correct myself. "I mean, we aren't going to do this now. We have to take this slowly. It's not just us, it's our kid now too." I look down at my stomach and rest my hands on top of it. Literally, on top of it.

James stands and walks over, placing his hands on top of mine. "Okay then," he says with a smile, "we take it slow. That way you can start to figure out if you like me for real or not. Although," his smile becomes a smirk, "the way you were behaving over on that couch makes me think that hormones has very little to do with it."

I smile and playfully shove him. He grabs my hand and just sort of holds on to it.

"What about Michelle?"

Did I really just say that? I mean, honestly, does my mouth have no filter on it whatsoever?

James drops my hand and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well…me and Michelle aren't really dating."

My hands slide up to my hips. "What?"

"Well, she asked me out, and I agreed to go that first time, but I told her about you and she kind of had this idea and well…I went along with it."

My eyes narrow. I can barely see him, they're so narrow. "And what, may I ask, was this plan?"

His gaze fixates on a spot above my head. "That I try to make you jealous."

Breathe, Lily, breathe. It will all be okay. At least they weren't really dating.

Shut up.

Hey, just trying to help.

Well, you fail, so be quiet.

James is watching me apprehensively.

I take a deep breath before speaking. "So that's why you still went on dates with her? To make me jealous?"

He nods, still looking sheepish and somewhat afraid. Good. He should be afraid. I think he's already learned that hormones make me crazy. Crazier than usual, that is.

I close my eyes and take another deep breath.

"Well," I say through clenched teeth, "you will be pleased to know that your plan worked wonderfully. But if I see you near her again, I will castrate you and murder her. Got it?" I open my eyes and he nods quickly. "Good. Now, I am going to sleep. In my room. You are also going to sleep. In your room. I will see you in the morning."

He looks somewhat disappointed – what? I'm a little over seven months pregnant, I can't be having sex! How would that work? – but he grabs my wrist as I'm heading towards my room. Pulling me towards him, he plants a soft kiss on my lips, then gently shoves me in the direction of my room.

Claudia teases me about the sappy smile I have on my face for a few weeks. She, like Sirius and Remus and Peter and…everyone, I guess…has noticed the little changes in my relationship with James. Like how he holds my hands sometimes or wraps his arm around my waist – surprisingly, that is still possible. He kisses my cheek or forehead a lot now, and while we haven't had a full-fledged snogging session again, he usually kisses me goodnight.

Another month or two of this and I think I could be hopelessly in love with this man.

I really hope this isn't because of hormones. And I'm starting to think it's not, because around him I just always feel so…there are a ton of words I could pick here: happy, contented, complete…the list goes on.

And quite simply, it's wonderful.

So, I hope that was enough to make up for missing last weeks update. For those of you in college, I hope you will understand. All I have to say is 18 hours and midterms. That should explain it ;)
Tomorrow (after I drive home) I'm going to write Eight so that I'm back on schedule. If it isn't posted Saturday, it will be posted Sunday or Monday at the latest.
Review!

Oh, and next chapter:
Baby naming time! Yes, we all know what his name is...but it'll be entertaining, I promise.