Marauders - Always - Part One

The Mustard Yellow Astra

James was curled around Lily, their legs twined together, when he suddenly received a sharp kick in the shin as she flailed wildly, projecting herself out of the bed and making a mad dash out of the room, hands clapped over her mouth. "Oh Merlin's sweaty left --" James cursed quietly, clutching his leg to his chest and rubbing his shin with a groan. He moaned and rolled onto his back.

The sunlight was only barely coming in the window, the morning young yet. He could hear Lily retching from across the hallway and the sound of it turned his own stomach so that he squeezed his eyes shut tight and groaned, "Oh gods Evans," and rubbed his palm over his face as he forced himself into a sitting position, yawning and rolling off the bed to his feet. He padded across the hallway to the bathroom and when he'd reached her side, he gathered her hair up in his fist, sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding the ginger locks up from 'round her face so she didn't get any throw-up in them. He closed his eyes and rubbed her back along her spine, trying to ignore the sound and smell rising up to him from where her face was buried in the bowl.

When she'd emptied her stomach out, she grappled blindly for the flusher, gasping. James was waiting with a damp cloth and he gently wiped the spittle and remnants off her chin and from around her mouth, he stared into other eyes as he lowered the cloth when he was done washing her up. "I'm sorry you're sick."

"At least I'll have a baby to show for it," she murmured. "Unlike Sirius."

James chuckled as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek bone as he pushed the hair back behind her ears.

They got up and had breakfast with Dora, who chirped merrily about all the patterns she'd found for baby things. Once James got her settled in working on a knitting project, he and Lily set off through the front door.

Outside, it was a beautiful day. Which was good as the car lot they disapparated to was quite large and it felt like they were walking through a forest of muggle cars. James held Lily's hand and pointed out a car now and then, but for the most part, he watched Lily as she ran her fingers over car hoods and mused to herself about the different models to look at.

"What do you think?" she asked after they'd done a lap through the different vehicles.

"I dunno, Evans," James said, "I don't know a thing about muggle cars."

Lily ran her hand across her stomach, "You've got to have an opinion, love."

James shrugged.

Lily raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well, how about that one there," he pointed to a random one.

"Oh James, that one's way too big."

"See?" he said, smirking at her.

Lily said, "Well it's a behemoth!"

James slid his arm around her, "Which one do you like?"

She hesitated, palms still splayed on her belly. "Well. I don't know..." She sighed. "Is it silly that I miss my mum's Morris Mini?"

"Do you want to get a Morris Mini then?" James asked.

"No... no, it would never live up to hers," Lily said, "I'd be comparing it all the time... poor car would never have a chance to be loved for its own merit. It would just always be the Morris Mini That Isn't Mum's."

"I see," James said, even though he didn't really see.

"Besides, imagine getting a car seat in and out of the back?"

"It would be a nightmare," James agreed. "It was hard enough getting Sirius in and out of the back and Godric knows he's smaller than a bloody car seat.... height-wise anyways."