AN: Please review! Kind of filler-ish, but I think you'll appreciate the second half. It was totally unplanned, but it was fun to write.
Life fell into a pattern after that. They threw themselves wholeheartedly into the Order and had to sneak moments in to be with each other. It was always frenzied. They would be tired and aching, but as soon as they came into the empty flat shoes and socks were off, articles of clothing flying as they hurried to the bedroom. Lily was thinner now, James could make out every rib, count the vertebrates on her back. Her collarbone seemed to become accessory that he would pepper with kisses. James waxed as Lily waned. The work he did was more strenuous than even the most difficult Quidditch practice he had been put through. Gone was the lankiness and slightly round face from his teenage years. His shoulders were broader, more defined, his face thinner with an ever present stubble. Now he cut his hair short, adding a few years to his age, making him look like he had actually graduated.
Today wasn't one of those days, however. It getting to be Winter and the old house where the Order was stationed wasn't warmed yet. "You forgot a jacket," James said as he knelt beside her.
"I wasn't thinking, when Luke came by and told me there were casualties…"
"I know." He ran a hand through her loose hair and pulled her into to a kiss after she had the coat on. "Can you do me a favor?" James shrugged off his coat, then his shirt to reveal a bare torso marred by a number of scratches and gouges. "Shrapnel, don't ask me how they did it."
Lily sighed and opened up the bag she had brought with her. It was two in the morning, James had been called out at midnight for back up on what was supposed to be a routine patrol. She pulled out a blanket and laid it on the ground.
"Nope." He stretched himself across her lap giving her full access. "Work your magic before the real injuries get here."
"Yes, sir." She muttered and took a flask out along with a rag. He hissed when the alcohol touched his wounds.
"You're a witch, why are you you using that muggle stuff on me?"
"James, I needed to clean the wound. If what happened was cursed then charms or spells won't work?"
"Then you use the muggle way…" James voice was cut off by a poultice being smeared on top now, he hissed at the cold and the renewed sting, but that was cut off by the feeling of his skin being pulled back together after Lily murmured, "Episkey." His skin was hot, then suddenly cold and then felt Lily's hands run over his bare skin. They felt so soft and delicate, he reached back. "Thank you."
"No problem." She leaned down to press a kiss on the back of his neck, her eyelashes hitting the skin, making it feel like a butterfly landed there.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but…" It was Luke. He always had perfect timing. The couple was just grateful that he finally moved out, but somehow he always managed to walk in on them at the worst times.
"It's fine." Lily looked up at him through her lashes, trying to tease him. From his position James huffed and pushed up, looking at Luke. "Let me fix that." She grabbed his t-shirt and muttered a charm to take out the blood. "Are the others here?"
"Not yet, some of the others want your help…" Luke ran a hand through his hair.
"Merlin, mate, my wife isn't that terrifying." James kissed her cheek loudly, twining a hand through her hair.
"Hey now," Lily protested. "Why don't you find Padfoot?" She gave him a smile as she got to her feet trailing behind Luke to help set up makeshift, transfigured cots. It wasn't long before people tumbled in, some in good shape, others bleeding and broken. Lily painted on a straight face as she helped them, never flinching at the the burns, bruises or gashes.
She knelt beside a frantic looking man with a shock of red hair, bandaging his arm, unable to fully heal it. Then, she moved to his head. "Never thought you'd see an office worker like this."
"Huh?" Lily asked.
"Arthur Weasley, you're the girl that married Charles' son."
"Yeah." Lily took a damp cloth and cleaned the dust and dirt off his face before pulling out her wand. "Tergeo." With that spell the dried blood was cleared away before she healed it up with a quick spell.
"You're going to give Molly a run for her money." It was Fabian, or at least Lily assumed it was. He was dressed very muggle like, down to his vintage band t-shirt. "She's always has her hands full with Charlie and Bill, both of them are real adventurers and I just know those twins will be up to as much mischief as Gid and I."
"How many kids do you have?" Lily wiped her hands on a cloth before muttering a spell to make sure they were devoid of blood.
"Right now? Five." He laughs. "All boys, all rambunctious, well the twins are newborns so they aren't terribly rowdy."
Lily smiled as Arthur spoke, relaying stories to her and Fabian. By now most of the people had been helped or could fix their injuries themselves. She let herself get lost in the tale of Charlie and the stuffed dragon, then in the story of Bill, who at nine was a master a puzzles. As he spoke she felt an aching in her chest, one that she had not felt before. She thought back to how it was to have a tiny human inside of her.
"Lily…" Fabian laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up. "Are you alright?"
Tears had filled her eyes, but she widened her smile and nodded. "Of course. You're kids sound amazing, they're lucky to have such great parents." She'd never met Molly, but always assumed she was something like Agatha.
"Come over sometime, the both of you." He tilted his head towards James. "We're going to have Gideon and Fabian over anyways and Molly always says the more the merrier."
"Agatha always said the same thing." Lily looked at Arthur, Fabian backed away, trying to avoid this conversation. "I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"How on earth do you do it?" Lily questioned. "Balance work and the Order and a family...James and I can barely manage our marriage with Order."
"Practice, lots of practices." Arthur smiled, patting her hand. "Remember the invitation, Molly will be delighted to have someone else to feed."
They did remember the invitation. It was January, though, by the time they made it to the Weasley Burrow. Lily and James made an effort to look nice, Lily in a dress and boots, James in a sweater and khaki's. They held hands tightly as they appeared in the fireplace. "Mum! Dad! There's people in our floo!" As the older boy ran out of the room a small child toddled in.
"Hello," Lily said. "What's your name?"
The small child blinked at her before he scampered out. "That's Percy," another boy said. This one had longer hair, a wicked smile and a shirt with a dragon on it. "My name is Charlie are you Lily and James?"
"Yes," Lily answered. "It's nice to meet you."
"You're pretty, you're hair's like ours."
"It is." Lily smiled brightly as she got down to his level. James watched seeing her interact with the child.
"Oh, Bill said you were in…Arthur is around here somewhere…" Molly Weasley was like a whirlwind. Vibrant curls billowed around her face, a stained apron covered a green dress, she balanced a baby on her hip. "Would you like to meet George? At least I think it's George, Arthur helped me dress him and I have this whole system down..." A bell went off somewhere in the house.
"Do you mind helping with the boys? Usually my brothers are here by now and they love to play…"
From behind them James let out a laugh as two boys grabbed at each leg, he spun them around. "Hey now, I think your mum wouldn't appreciate roughhousing in here….Molly, can I bundle them up and take them outside before dinner?"
"Please," she said and another bell went off. "I have to…"
"Give me George." Lily held out her arms for the baby boy. He grinned good-naturedly at her. It was a good fifteen minutes later before Fabien and Gideon flooed in. The first thing they saw was Lily sitting with Percy while the twins played on a blanket. "Beat you here."
"That you did," Fabian said. "Where are the two monsters?"
"With my husband in the snow, Arthur joined them and Molly's finishing dinner."
"Lily's nice," Percy said.
"That she is." Gideon sat down on the couch and a second later he had the child on his lap. "You fit right in here."
"James does," she responded. "I should have known he'd be great with kids, I mean him and Sirius are practically children."
"Don't doubt yourself," Gideon said and watched as Fabien swooped in to pick up the twins, balancing one in each arm. "Katie always wanted a big family. I said 'we'll see'." He ran his hand through Percy's hair, the child not even paying attention to the adults, too caught up with the pictures in the book.
"Percy come with me to see your mum," Fabian said, noticing the tone shift with the two on the couch. As he walked forward, the toddler stumbled off the couch and padded over to man whose leg he was now clinging to.
"You know when I was sick? I was pregnant and lost the baby." She frowned. "I was so upset at myself because I was relieved, I thought that it wasn't possible to do everything, then I heard Arthur and Molly talk…"
"Hey, Lil, my sister and her husband, they are super human. My sister thrives in this chaos, she was born to be a mother or at the very least a leader of a small nation." Gideon laughed at his own joke. "Don't ever hesitate, do things now or you'll regret waiting."
"Frank told me the same thing, that's why I proposed to James."
Gideon's eyes lit up at that. "I promise not to tell Fabian, he would never let him live that down."
"I should go see Molly, can you make sure James and Arthur are alright? I've heard stories about your brother-in-law and if half of that is true I don't entirely trust him and James with small children."
"Yes." Gideon patted her shoulder before heading to the door and stealing one Arthur's jacket before slipping out the door. Lily wandered into the kitchen where she could see Fabian settling the twins into wooden high chairs.
"Could you help me get everything set up?" Molly was waving a wand around as pots and pans and food went flying threw the kitchen. "Just setting the table, Gideon is helping the twins and Percy…"
"That's Fabian, Gideon went outside to check on our husbands."
"Good plan." Molly pointed her wand at her, then had to quickly redirect the action. "Although, Arthur tells me you're quick good at Healing."
"Somewhat…" Lily opens cabinets, but Molly just waves her hand and one flies opens revealing the dishes. "Thanks, what size plates?"
"Big ones." Molly smiles as everything is neatly arranged in bowls and platters that litter the counter.
Lily piles her arms full of plates and then looks at Molly who flings open a drawer with a wave of a hand. Lily balances the armload as she piles silverware on top. "I'll come back for cups."
A smile quirks at Molly's lips. "Just like Arthur."
"The muggle way of doing things has been ingrained into me." Lily knew that's what she meant and from Molly and Arthur it was basically a compliment. Arthur was intrigued by everything none magical, but he didn't treat her like some freak show.
"Let me help." Molly levitated a stack of glasses into the dining room onto the table. In no time everything was ready. "Let's sit down while we wait." Molly sat down at the head of the table, the other reserved for Arthur. She put the twins on either side of her. At the other end, Percy was sitting on a transfigured books to make him tall enough with Fabian next to him, Arthur would be at his elbow.
Fabian was holding a mock serious conversation with Percy who was busying himself with straightening his place setting. Lily let out a laugh and Molly looked at her. Before anything could be said there was a loud clamor as Bill and Charlie raced James into the dining room. "Watch it!" Lily shouted as incredibly cold hands gripped her shoulders. "Have fun?"
"I'm starving." James kissed her on the cheek. "It smells wonderful, thank you for inviting us Molly, Arthur." He sat down next to Lily, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"James, let me sit next to her," Charlie whined.
"Buddy, how about-"
"It's fine Arthur," James said as he relinquished his wife and scooted over. "Come on."
Charlie happily climbed onto the chair, beaming at Lily before telling her everything that went on outside. Across the table Bill sat between Fabian and Gideon. The night passed with lots of good food and laughter. As it whined down, Molly dished out pie to everyone and James and Lily snuck looks at each other over Charlie's head. The little boy seemed to be entranced by the 'pretty lady' with red hair and green eyes, especially after he learned that James and she were married 'just like mum and dad'.
That night when James and Lily were home they laid in bed, not talking, not sleeping, just holding hands. Lily laid her head on his shoulder. "You know how I was saying I wasn't ready for a baby?"
"Yeah."
"I'm still petrified." She kissed him on the cheek.
"Oh…" James looked at her. "I understand, but...whenever you're ready to have kids, so am I."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"It's not the kids part I'm worried about, it's the whole pregnancy thing and the Order and…"
"Hey, I know you like planning, but we just have to roll with the punches, right? If you stuck to a plan we wouldn't be here right now, together." He moved his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer.
"This time, though, I want you there every step of the way, no secrets."
James just held her tighter, tucking his head into her neck.