Chapter 2:

Lily woke up to the familiar smell of chocolate and peppermint.

'James,' she exclaimed, surprised.

James was sitting on the edge of the sofa, and Lily noticed that he must have draped the green blanket over her while she was asleep.

'Sorry love, I didn't mean to wake you,' he said gently, affectionately tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

'Is the mission over?' Lily asked, feeling disoriented from the nap. She looked outside, but as it was winter, the darkness gave nothing away.

'We just had our briefing. Gideon and Fabian are already on the tails of our indispensable mate Dolohov, and Padfoot and I are heading to the agreed destination in a minute. He's in the hallway,' James added quickly, no doubt noticing her questioning look.

'He'd come in, but I really should be going. I just wanted to check on you.'

'James, wait,' Lily said as her husband got up to leave.

Before she had fallen asleep, Lily had spent most of her time thinking about what she would do if James hadn't returned. If something had gone wrong. If something were to go wrong, seeming as nothing had happened yet.

'I asked you to come back safely, and you didn't answer,' she said, sitting up and letting the blanket fall off her shoulders.

James looked at her through his glasses with an expression she struggled to discern: somewhere between affection and ... pity? She hoped not. Lily didn't need James Potter's pity - she needed him alive.

Lily Potter had made her choice. She knew James would be impatient to leave, and this sure as hell wasn't a conversation she wanted Sirius to walk in on, so she did the thing she was best at: she told her husband what he needed to hear in the most efficient way she could.

'I am pregnant. And you're coming back alive and unhurt. Do you understand me?'

Her voice had been fiercer than she had intended, and she felt her eyes burn. She blinked furiously. Damn these hormones.

James just stood there, like he had been petrified.

Then, he did something that surprised her. He walked out the door.

It was the least James-like thing she had ever seen, and her stomach dropped. If she hadn't been sitting, she was sure she would have fainted. Had she been so wrong about her husband? About a man that she had known for eight years - or at least, known of, for eight years.

'We will have to leave soon, Lily, or the whole operation could be compromised. Now that the plan is in motion, I can't back out.' she barely recognised his voice - it was so strained, but she registered at least that James had returned.

He sat down next to her, looking at his hands.

'I've asked Padfoot for a few more minutes, though, so let's make the most of it.'

He sighed, deeply, and finally looked at her with such intensity that it took everything she had to keep meeting his hazel eyes.

'You're sure about the pregnancy thing..?'

'Yes.'

'And do you want to - to keep it?'

'Yes!'

'Well, we don't need to make that decision now, of course.'

This must be what it's like being hit by a Beater's bat, Lily thought as all the air in her lungs seemed to have gone out of her. That sounded like James didn't agree about keeping the child.

'I mean,' James added quickly, noticing perhaps how she had paled, 'I am not against - I mean, it's wonderful news, love. It's just a lot to take in.'

'All you need to take in right now is that you need to come home tonight,' Lily said, grabbing his hand. 'I agree, decisions can be made later.'

'I never needed another reason to come home, Lily. And I wish you had told me before. This mission still carries risks. They are small, but they are there. Like you said earlier... We both know Dolohov can't have us discovering his spy.'

Lily knew that. She squeezed his hand.

'You're a risk-taker, James Potter, and you're the right man for the job.'

Suddenly she couldn't stand looking at him any longer. She had been stupid not to tell him earlier. Or she should have told him later. His behaviour wouldn't change the least bit from these news - not in the field. In the field, James would give it his best. She knew that because that's exactly what she would do. It is what they had done together before.

'Hey!' James said, his hand drying some fresh tears from her cheeks. 'I promise you that there is nothing I want more than to start a family with you, and as risk-free as this is supposed to be... if something goes wrong, I will fight with everything I've got. I am not intending on leaving you my inheritance just yet.'

Lily leaned forward and kissed his lips. He pulled her in, closer, kissing her back more greedily.

'James, love,' Lily pulled away.

'Right,' James agreed. He got up and kissed her forehead.

'See you in a few hours, and then we can discuss - and celebrate - this,' he said.

As he moved towards the door, he turned back one more time. He laughed nervously: 'I can't believe this. A new addition to our family.'

His face finally lit up the way she had pictured it when she had thought about how she would tell him. Back when she had fantasised about his reaction.

'Go!' she laughed, and James finally left her.

This time, Lily felt invigorated by their conversation. She got up, preparing to go to bed. It was fine. It was all going to be fine.

A/N:

Right, those are the two short chapters out of the way. The good stuff is about to start.

As you can read, this is a mature James - obviously. Canonically (if that's a word), James matured greatly after his fifth year at Hogwarts. Of course, JK's motorbike/James/Sirius story shows James never stopped being playful when the situation allows it, but this would not be one of those cases.

And, Jily is my favourite HP couple, so whilst James pre-dating obsession with Lily can be comical, I want their relationship to be rock f** solid and healthy.