I Will by greenevans

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Lily & James
Book: Lily & James, Books 1 - 4
Published: 12/03/2005
Last Updated: 12/03/2005
Status: Completed

James sneaks into the hospital room his wife and newborn son are in for a little man-to-man
talk. The talk turns to insecurities from James as he bonds with Harry. Short, but very sweet,
rated PG-13 for minor sexual references and swearing. R&R, please!




1. I Will
---------



**I Will**

**By: Amanda**

**Disclaimer: Pfft, if I owned Harry Potter I wouldn't be posting my stories online, but at
a publishing company; I wouldn't be worried about paying college, probably wouldn't even
worry about college. I'm just a 19 year-old college student with no life at the moment and uses
this as a means of escape.**

**>~<~>~<**

James walked hesitantly into the hospital room late that night. He'd been here earlier, but
not when everyone was asleep, not when all the healers were gone and most the medi-nurses.

He found the maternity ward strangely quiet; he'd expected to hear baby's crying
incessantly. *Maybe all the little babies are tired form their journey like all the mummies,*
he theorized, chastising himself for sounding like a seven year old.

Walking to the bed where his wife lay sleeping soundly, James gave her a light kiss on her
forehead before making his way to the crib nearby. Glancing back at Lily to be sure she was still
asleep, James hesitantly lifted his son, barely a day old, from the little bed and moving gingerly
to the rocking chair next to it.

Holding him the way the nurse had shown him earlier, James gazed down at his baby boy lying
awake and quiet in his arms. “Hi,” he said softly, smiling a little. Seeing the small toothless
grin from his son gave him the courage to keep talking. “You got a head of hair there, don't
you? Looks just like mine. Sorry 'bout that, by the way. Well, the healer guy that delivered
you said that it's important for you infants to feel skin to skin contact and heartbeats and
stuff, so I figured I'll hold you a bit while everyone's gone and we can have a little man
to man talk. How's that sound, Harry?” His son stretched out both his legs in a small kick.
“Looks like you're up for it to me. Don't worry, I'll do all the talking,” he added
with a grin.

James scrunched up his nose, peering closer at the infant. “You *do* look just like my baby
pictures…uncanny, really. You'd think you'd look a bit like Lily. She's your mum, but
you already knew that; you two met while you were attached to my second favorite part of her
anatomy below her neck. And you came out my first favorite below her neck.” He chuckled, a deep
rumble in his chest, vibrations traveling through little Harry, who giggled happily. James broke
out in a grin. “You really are cute, you know that? You get that from my side of the family,” he
dropped his voice and head lower, “but don't tell your mother. She thinks she's the cute
one.

“I never had much experience with little…um, children. It was decided that I was “too
rambunctious” for anything under six…even when I was six. So I'm not really sure…what to do, or
how to act, or anything. I have Lily, though, and she knows damn near, I mean, darn near, I mean,
she knows almost everything. She'll help me stumble through this infancy thing. When you're
older…I don't know actually.”

James paused a moment, contemplating what was in his mind, how to continue. “My father was never
really attentive, or involved, or anything. He worked a lot. I know he loved us and my mum a lot,
but he didn't show it very well; he just worked a lot to give us a luxurious lifestyle. My mum
was always there when I needed her and was what a mum should be. She passed away when I was young,
though.

“I know Lily will be the perfect mum, and wife. She already is the perfect wife, but she'll
be your perfect mum.” James stopped, gazing down at his son, looking up at him with curious eyes.
“I don't know what kind of father I'll be to you. Your mum seems to have faith that
I'll be a decent one at least, or she wouldn't have agreed to marry me and she
*definitely* wouldn't have allowed me to knock her up, I mean, she wouldn't have
gotten pregnant with you. I'm glad she did, though,” he continued in a tone that would indicate
to others he was talking to a baby or a puppy. “Yes, I'm very glad we made you. We had a lot of
fun making you, too. You'll learn about that when you're older, though.”

Returning his voice to a normal tone, he said quietly, “But I really don't know what kind of
dad I'll be to you, I never had a very good example. I will promise you, Harry, that I will do
the best I can. I will do anything and everything possible to keep you happy, safe, healthy…loved.
I already love you, a lot. 'Bout as much as your mum, but in a *very* different way, so I
have that covered. I just need to work on the rest. I'll do it, though, I will. I promise I
will…”

“I know you will,” said another, feminine voice. James looked up to see Lily lying in bed
watching him, tears glistening in her eyes.

“You heard it all?” he asked, returning his eyes to his son.

She nodded, answering, “From head of hair on.” She smiled. “You're going to corrupt our son
before he's old enough to understand what you're doing. And I am the cute one.”

James grinned. “Then he'll really be a Potter. You're the pretty one.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “More like he'll really be his father's son.”

“You're just jealous because he likes me more, and looks like me.” Little Harry started to
fuss in his arms, squirming and making small whining sounds.

“Oh, yes, Harry likes you best,” Lily said sarcastically. “Bring him here, he wants his
mother.”

“Only 'cause you feed him,” James reasoned, passing his son carefully to his wife. He
watched as she feed Harry, amazed and completely enraptured by the process. “I wonder if it tastes
good,” he thought aloud after a few moments, a small smirk growing on his face. “Harry seems to
like it.”

“*You* will not be finding out,” she told him pointedly, “not for six weeks at least.”

“So Harry gets have all the fun?” James pouted.

“Need I remind you that Harry needs this to survive? And I'll bet he has your appetite.”

“The Potter line has always had healthy eaters,” he replied smugly as Harry finished his meal.
James leaned over the edge of the bed, peering into his son's face. “Full, little man?” Harry
looked up at him, his eyes closing slowly, tiredly and James couldn't help but smile. “Looks
like someone's ready for bed,” he commented, tapping Harry on the nose.

With surprising quickness for a drowsy infant that would make any Quidditch Seeker proud, Harry
grabbed his father's finger, enclosing his tiny fist around it. James stopped all movement,
simply staring unfocused at his finger being held by his son.

“James,” Lily questioned softly as he continued to zone out, “are you okay?” She touched his arm
with her hand, snapping him out of his daze.

“What?” he asked blinking at her. Harry had fallen asleep in his mother's arms, his arm
slipping from James's finger. James returned his son to his crib alongside Lily's bed.

“What happened there?” his wife questioned him, shuffling over so he could sit beside her on the
bed. “One minute you're perfectly fine, talking about Harry going to bed, the next, you're
completely spacing out.”

“Oh, well, this is going to sound a little dumb,” he began embarrassed, rubbing the back of his
neck with his hand. “When Harry was born, I knew I was a father, I had recognized it and
everything, but I didn't *feel* like I was one. Not until Harry grabbed my finger just
now. It was just…this surge of affection or something. Like it was his way of telling me he loved
me…” he trailed off. Wiping his eyes quickly, he avoided looking at Lily. “Yeah, stupid, I
know.”

“No, James, not stupid, not stupid at all,” she told him, her hand on his arm. “Most likely very
true.”

“You think so?” he asked hopefully.

Lily nodded. “Yes, I really, truly do.”

James looked at her, into her beautiful green eyes, and they confirmed to him she really, truly
did believe that. He wrapped his arms around her waist, embracing her. “I love you,” he whispered
in her ear, “so very much.”

“I love you, too,” she told him, “more than I thought possible. And you are going to make a
wonderful father.”

“I will,” he said confidently, gazing briefly at his son sleeping peacefully in his cradle.
Hugging Lily to him, he relaxed for sleep, kissing the top of her head. “I will.”

**>~<~>~<**

**>****~FIN~****<**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, leave a comment. I LIVE to hear them.**

**Seriously, questions, comments, criticism, stories, anything and everything you guys come up
with, I'd love to hear. Honestly. And I'll reply, I promise, if I can come up with
something decent.**

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