Four Little Words

Chapter Nine

"Bloody berk...pregnant...idiot..."

"That's what I overheard."

"Well, that should be a lesson to you to not listen in on other people's conversations-"

"I'm sorry, all right!" James said, loudly, causing the entire lunchroom to look over at him. He hunched his shoulders and played with his gelatin mass of goo on his plate. Sirius continued to grumble and shake his head, shoveling beans into his mouth.

"How're the proposals going? Any luck?" Remus asked, helpfully, after a few minutes of silence.

"No...I'm starting to think that I should just put it off..." James shook his head.

Suddenly, Sirius began snorting. Then he put his hand over his mouth and looked down at his lunch tray.

"Are you choking?" James asked, concerned.

"Now, wook," Sirius said, mouth still full of food. He pointed his fork down to the pile of wilting string beans. "Bweans!"

James and Remus stared at him blankly.

"Oh, never mind," Sirius grunted, going back to his food and grumbling.

"Anyway...." Remus began slowly. "There is no way you can put it off any longer, James."

"How do you suggest I do it then?" James snapped.

"Hello mates," came a voice above them.

Sirius drew his eyes up from his food to stare at the twin across the table from him. He looked apprehensive for a bit and then opened his mouth. "Fabian?"

"Gideon," he corrected.

"Damn it," Sirius cursed, spearing a green bean with his fork."Stupid Pratwetts, can't tell you two apart..."

"What's on your mind, Gideon?" Remus asked, conversationally as the man sat down next to James.

"Fancied a chat, I suppose. Fabian's on sister duty this week," he explained. "She's to the point where she can't get out of bed, and Arthur has to work, so we're taking turns tending to the other kids and to her."

Sirius grimaced. "Is he still saying ‘chicken shit?'"

Gideon shot him a look. "So that was you who taught him that?"

"So Gideon," Remus interjected. "When is she due?"

"Hard to say," Gideon said, his attention diverted. "The Healer at first said February, but now he's saying it might be as late as April."

"God, I hope Lily doesn't have twins..." James gulped. "Don't pregnant women grow horns or something like that?"

"Proposed, then have you?" Gideon asked, raising his eyebrow.

James glowered at him. "Not. Yet."

"No need to take your cowardice out on Gideon here," Sirius patted James on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I might be able to help, you know," Gideon smirked, eating his lunch. "I actually stopped by to offer my assistence."

"How so?" James asked.

"I am on very...good....terms with the Holyhead Harpies manager," Gideon winked. "And I could probably manage to get you a few tickets for the next home game."

"I don't want to bring my girlfriend to a Harpies game...." James rolled his eyes. "That's like asking her to go to a strip club and hold your hand while a stripper is shaking her arse in your face!"

"Do you know how big the sign is at the Harpies' stadium?" Gideon sighed.

"No, I'm not usually looking at the sign when I go to a Harpies game-"

"Five-hundred feet."

"And?"

"Well that would be a very large ‘Will You Marry Me, Lily' wouldn't it?" Gideon asked. James was about to open his mouth to be snarky when a light switched on in his head and he mouthed wordlessly for a few minutes.

"What?!" Sirius yelped. "You mean to tell me that you're going to listen to Pratwett here instead of your best friend?!"

"But...." James turned to him, grinning madly. "It's the perfect thing for me! Quidditch! Hot women! Lily!"

"I can't believe this!"

"Sirius, come now, don't be upset," Gideon shook his head. "I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah, and you know as well as we do that James needs all the help he can get," Remus chuckled.

"Yeah, I need all the..." James trailed off, realizing what he was saying and looking quite put out.

"Well, I suppose..." Sirius sat back. "But only if I get to help you...and only if you set me up with one of those Harpies players..."

"What about Dorcas?" Remus asked.

"Oh, you know..." Sirius avoided his eye.

"I think Sirius is trying to sow his wild oats," James jumped at the opportunity to goad Sirius back.

"Am not!" he folded his arms over his chest. "Dorcas and I always shag other people-"

"But you haven't in nearly a year..." James reminded him.

"You have no room to be saying anything, Mr. I-can't-say-four-words-to-my-girlfriend," Remus pointed out.

"Hey!"

"James, are you sure you don't mind me coming?" Lily asked, zipping up the very worn light blue jacket that had, at one time, belonged to James. "I mean, this is usually a Sirius thing...right? You two come here to watch all the hot women flying around?"

"Only the Wasps vs. Arrows games, honey," James squirmed with anticipation. He knew that Gideon, Sirius, and Remus were up in the stands, waiting for a break in the game so that they could send off the message. "And you're the only hot woman I like to look at." He pulled her close to him so that she wouldn't be cold in the early February weather.

"I really like it when you take me to Quidditch games," Lily said quietly, stroking his cheek.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I like to feel included...even though I really don't understand it much..."

"One of these days, I'll have to teach you the finer points. After all-" he stopped suddenly and felt his mouth go dry.

"After all, what?"

"Nothing," he squeaked. He was about to say, ‘After all, we'll need someone to play keeper to our child's chaser,' but as he hadn't proposed yet, that wouldn't be wise.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked, putting her gloved hand in his.

"Fine, honey, just fine..."

"Do you want something to drink?" she offered.

"Firewhiskey."

"Butterbeer?" Lily corrected and James nodded. She got up, planted a kiss to his forehead, and left his side to find some drinks. James let out a breath and leaned against the seat. He didn't know how he was going to last the game until the break.

"Relax," came a voice behind him. James jumped, but didn't turn around.

"Don't do that, Gideon!"

"Hey, I'm blending in. Don't worry, everything is set perfectly. First chance and the signs' up. She can't miss a five-hundred foot sign, can she?"

"I suppose not..oh shit, here she comes!" James sat up. "Get out of here!"

James tried to look nonchalant when Lily returned with two butterbeers. She snuggled back into James' arms and handed him his.

"Here you are," she put her head on his shoulder. "It's so cold out here."

"Yeah," he squeaked, watching the sign nervously.

"Baby, are you sure you're all right?"

He grinned down at her, mischievously. "If you call me Baby again I will be?"

"What is it with you and that name?" she asked.

"It's a turn on, what can I say?" he put his cheek to her forehead, trying to warm her up. "Ready for the game to begin?"

"Hm-mm," she reached up and kissed him. "I love you, James."

"I love you too, Lily."

"God, that makes me sick," Sirius said from the top box, peering through Omninoculars. "Think they could make out a bit more down there?"

"Oh, Sirius, lay off, they're in love," Remus elbowed him, holding his own Omninoculars to his eyes.

"The game's about to begin," Gideon mentioned to them.

"Right, so the first break we get, are we showing this message here?" the manager of the sign asked.

"Yup," Sirius grinned. "Make sure you don't screw it up."

"I won't, but the first break might not be for a while."

"We can wait," Sirius shrugged.

"This has to be the longest Quidditch game I have ever been to." James stared blankly at the scoreboard (1020 to 1040). It was past ten at night, and the players were still going at it. The Snitch had been no where to be seen. Anywhere. Period.

Lily had taken a nap and was now watching the game, incredibly bored and about to fall asleep again.

"Sorry this is taking so long," James said, apologetically.

"You know, I was just thinking..." Lily sighed, sadly. "Oliver would have loved this game."

James nodded, trying to think of something else to talk about before she got going. Because once she started talking about her family, she wouldn't stop until she was crying in a loo somewhere.

He looked to the giant board which held the scores of the game and tried to will it to change to his proposal message.

"I've been thinking about him a lot," Lily continued, her voice strained. "About Mum and Dad too..."

"Honey..." he put his arms around her, but still staring at the board. Change, damn you, CHANGE!

"And I wonder how Oliver would have done in Hogwarts this year...and whether or not he would have been good at Charms...and..." she sniffed loudly, tears running down her face.

"I know he would have done great, Lily..." Oh, for all that is good in this world, CHANGE!

"Why, James?" Lily sniffed. "Why us? Why did it have to be them?" James tore his head from the board to look at her and her lip started to tremble again. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom," Lily said, breaking out of James' embrace and running out of the stands.

There was a loud cry in the stands when one of the Harpies fell to the ground. The announcer's voice, now hoarse from screaming for hours straight, rasped onto the loudspeaker. "Harpies call for a time out!"

And the giant sign flared to life:

"MARRY ME, LILY!"

James groaned into his hands.

It was nearly an hour later when Lily returned. James had left his seat after the game had ended (the Snitch was found near five minutes after Lily left the stands crying), and had been waiting outside of the ladies' loo for her. She came out of the bathroom, still sniffling and went into his arms.

"Did we win?" she asked, quietly.

"I wasn't watching, really-"

"You seemed to be more interested in it than me," Lily frowned and didn't look at him.

"No, that's not what I was looking at-"

"So you were looking at the girls, then?" Lily glared at him.

"Honey, no!"

Sirius, Remus, and Gideon were coming down from the box when they spotted the two. Sirius jaunted ahead of them, unaware that anything was wrong.

"How's my favorite engaged-"

"I'm telling you, I wasn't more interested in the game than you!" James insisted.

"You were staring at that stupid sign the entire game!" Lily shrieked. "Did you think it would convey some secret message or something?!"

"Actually....."

"Gah! I've had it with you Potter!" she said before Disapparating.

"So....I take it she missed the five-hundred foot sign, hm?" Remus said, breaking the silence between them.

"Yes," James turned around, angry as hell. "She missed the stupid sign because she was too busy blubbering in the bathroom."

"James, mate," Gideon shook his head. "You might need to reconsider this...I mean, if you're this unlucky, maybe you two shouldn't be togeth....er..."

He was haulted by the murderous glare that came from James way.