March 3rd, 1980
"Morning Ja- Did you sleep here?" Sirius asked, looking his best friend up and down.
"Hmmm." James hummed eyes closed.
"Actually, did you sleep at all?"
"…Sarah and Daniel Bones were found dead in their own home. Orphaning their four month daughter Susan. Absolutely no evidence was left behind."
"Should I take that as a no?" Sirius asked. "I'm going to take that as a no…"
"No time." James muttered. "Too much to do."
"Does Lily know?"
"Yeah, she knew when I came in." She had been pissed about the situation, but more at Rufus than anything else.
"When did you last eat?"
"Uh…"
"If you have to think about it that hard, it has been way too long." Sirius lectured, leading James toward their shared office. "So, here's what's going to happen," He led James to the couch, "I'm going to go find you breakfast, then you can either are going to nap right here on this very couch or I can drive you home again." He made James sit on the couch. "You have got to stop doing this, you can not keep letting Rufus overw- What? What's wrong?" He asked at James confused look.
James shook his head. "Nothing. Just, this baby's moving." He said, looking down and placing a hand on his stomach, "Not enough to be felt outside… but definitely moving."
"See?" Sirius asked, placing a hand on top of the hand James had resting on his stomach. "This. This baby is why something has to give. You cannot keep going on like this, and Rufus should notexpect you to. Now," Sirius said, straightening, "I'm going to go find you something for breakfast so you can sleep."
xXx
Unsurprisingly, when Sirius got back to the office, James had already fallen asleep on the couch.
March 7th, 1980
The Evans/Greene family always got together for a family reunion once a year. This year it was Rosalie and Harrison's turn to host the entire family.
Harrison's parents, Harold and Irene who Harrison and Lily had gotten their red hair from.
His younger brothers and their families, Alex and Sabrina and their daughter Christy, and Matthew and Sally and their son Silas. Silas and Christy both being around Petunia and Lily's age.
Rosalie's parents, Phillip, who Rosalie took after in looks, and Charlotte, who she took after in personality.
And her older brother Jackson and his wife Olivia. Their son Michael and five year old Audrey, Michael's daughter who had inherited Olivia's dark brown hair.
Obviously Petunia and Lily plus their husbands Vernon and James as well.
Some were staying with Rosalie and Harrison; some were getting hotel rooms.
Lily and James, and Petunia and Vernon would be in the girls' old bedrooms, Harold and Irene would have the guest bedroom. Olivia, Jackson, Michael, and Audrey would have an RV in the driveway. Everyone else would be getting hotel rooms.
xXx
"Where are my granddaughters?" Charlotte asked Rosalie that evening, as she helped her in the kitchen. Everyone was there but Petunia, Vernon, Lily and James.
"Petunia and Vernon should be here any minute now." Rosalie answered, as she bustled around the kitchen. "Lily and James had work today, so they won't be here until late this evening." She knew Petunia had told the rest of the family about her pregnancy, but she wasn't sure if Lily and James had been able to yet. While the did know Lily was a witch and James a wizard, Amy (Michael's late wife) had been one as well, and Audrey was showing definite signs of magic, and the Statue of Secrecy wouldn't be a problem. It would still be a bit difficult for them to explain over the phone. Plus, the fact that Lily seemed to like telling people in person.
xXx
10:00 P.M.
"Lily!" Christy screeched at the sound of the clucky truck pulling up in front of the house, yanking the door open and running outside, despite the fact it was lightly snowing, and she was barefoot. They had been really close as children, Christy being just a year younger than Lily. But then Lily had gone off to Hogwarts, and Christy had gotten into a college in America just before Lily got married.
"Christy!" Michael hissed, as Audrey jerked up from where she had been sleeping against his shoulder.
Lily jumped out of the truck as soon as James had put it in park, slamming the passenger door shut and exclaiming "Christy!"
March 8th, 1980
"Weren't you showing more last time I saw you?" Rosalie asked, staring at James with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah. But that's the magic of Madam Malkin's clothes." James answered, picking at the pocket of his hoodie. "Some of them have charms on them to help hide a pregnancy."
"Is that… safe?" Rosalie asked concerned.
"Oh, yeah." James assured. "At least for a few hours at a time." It was mostly just a very carefully done Notice Me Not charm. "I think Lily was wanting to tell the rest of the family this afternoon, so it shouldn't be a problem for too much longer."
xXx
"Why are you telling us this now?" Silas asked abruptly, as soon as Lily was done explaining the basics of what a male bearer is.
"…because James is one." Lily answered hesitantly, suddenly unsure of how the family would react and wishing she had had James do this instead, that she had taken him up on his offer to tell them instead of her.
"So, you're telling me." Christy started, drawling, "That when you have children… your husband will get pregnant in your stead?"
"Via teleporting sperm." Silas added, having been the one to ask 'how'. Lily nodded.
"Okay. Then." Christy muttered.
"Why are you telling us this now?" Charlotte asked, narrowing her eyes in a way only she and her daughter could.
There was a pause before Lily answered, "Because James is pregnant."
"What!" Christy exclaimed loudly, jumping up from her seat. "Girl! What?!"
"When?"
"What was that Grandma Irene?" Lily asked her wheelchair bound grandmother.
"When is the baby going to be born?"
"Late July or early August." Lily answered her.
"Of this year?"
"Of this year." Lily confirmed, nodding her head.
"Wait." Silas started to say, looking at James, thinking. "That would put you around four or five months, wouldn't it? Shouldn't you be-" he cut off here, making a curving gesture with his hands, starting at his chest going out to where his arms were barely bent, and down to his groin.
"Um, what?" James asked with a highly confused look on his face.
"Showing, Silas?" Michael snapped, glaring at his younger cousin. "You can say it. It's not going to offend anyone."
"Yeah," Silas muttered, awkwardly, "That."
"I am, actually." James answered, smirking slightly.
Olivia snorted to herself, muttering, "Yeah right."
Well, it was nice to know the charms worked like well, a charm.
xXx
"Where are you going?" Audrey asked as she watched Lily and James slip their coats on.
"Down to the park." James answered the five year old's question.
Audrey gasped, bouncing in place, "Can I come?"
"Go ask your dad, Sw-" Lily hadn't even finished answering, when the girl was running off in a blur to find Michael, "-eetheart."
March 9th, 1980
"You're stressing." Lily stated, as they left Cokeworth that Sunday afternoon.
"Yeah, I guess I am." He had taken some of the paperwork for the Bones case with them, there wasn't a lot of paperwork, but instead of leading the case himself with the help of a team of investigators, as was part of his job as Head Auror, Rufus had placed those responsibilities on James.
His friends and family had been wanting him to speak to the minister about how Rufus was treating him, especially about parental leave. He was trying to wait until they found a head for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Then he could hopefully just file a complaint with them, instead of bothering the minister with it.
"I'm worried about you, James." Lily stated, not taking her eyes off the road as she drove. "We're worried, me, Sirius, Remus, Peter, my parents, and I'm sure Euphemia and Fleamont are as well. You are not getting near enough sleep, you are not eating regularly,"
"Lily, I'm fine." James propped his elbow on the car door, resting his chin in his hand as he looked out the window, "I ameating, and I am sleeping."
"Rufus shouldn't be making you do some of the things he's making you do. Like going to crime scenes for example, what if there were curses or harmful wards or something?"
"I'm not going to do anything to put our baby in danger."
"I know you wouldn't purposefully, but that doesn't keep me from worrying. Accidents do happen."
"I know Lily." James sighed, at this point, over than quitting his job, there wasn't much he could do about that. "I know."
March 19th, 1980
"Mate." Sirius started, getting James' attention, from his own desk in his and James shared office. "Are- Are you… okay?"
"Yes." James hissed, looking up from where he had been pinching the bridge of his nose, to glare at Sirius, "Why do you people keep asking me that!"
"Whoa! 'Kay!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I was just asking. You look like you're in pain."
"It's nothing," James answered, leaning back in his chair, "Just a headache."
"Migraine?" Sirius prompted.
"…Yeah." James admitted, pushing the palms of his hands into his eyes.
"Take a break." Sirius ordered, "Nap on the couch for an hour or so."
"No." James protested, sitting up, "No, I'll be fine."
March 27th, 1980
James stared at the couple standing on the other side of the door, "Mum? Dad? What are you doing here?" he asked, letting the elderly couple, and the nurse accompanying them into the flat.
"We can't come see our son on the anniversary of his birth?" Fleamont asked, raising an eyebrow.
James eyes squinted, rolling up and to the right as he thought. "Oh."
"Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday." Fleamont deadpanned.
"Alright, I won't tell you then."
"Are you feeling alright?" Euphemia asked, her hands coming up to gently cup her sons face. "You look peaky."
James rolled his eyes, shoulders slumping, "Not you too!"
"Serena, could you come look him over?" Euphemia called to the silently lurking nurse.
"No! No mum, I'm fine!" James did notwhine. He didn't.
March 31st, 1980
It was on March thirty-first nineteen-eighty, when James learned one way to single handedly, without threatening anyone or anything, cause mass panic in a roomful of fully grown trained Aurors.
They were at a mandatory meeting introducing the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Sirius sidled up next to where James was standing.
He blinked rapidly, clearing dark spots from his vision, looking to the front of the room where Rufus was droning on with a long introduction of the new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Hey." Sirius over to whisper to James. "Are you- Are you… Okay?" He asked in concern as James glanced at him, blinking, before he looked back to the front of the room.
James hummed in response, was he okay? He was exhausted, and nauseous, and very lightheaded. He, once again, hadn't gone home the night before as they had finally (hopefully) solved the Bones case. He hadn't been able to sit down for an actual meal since lunch the day before… and maybe there was genuine cause for concern there…
"James?" Sirius prompted, frowning in concern when James shook his head in answer, swaying slightly. He cursed rather loudly as James eyes rolled back, jerking forward to catch him as his knees buckled.
"Potter, Black!" Rufus growled from the front of the room at the interruption, earning an incredulous look from the new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, before she took charge from him.
"You," She commanded, pointing to Frank Longbottom, "Go put a call into Saint Mungoes."