Credit goes to October311981 on tumblr :)
If they lived AU
She finds James on the sofa holding a piece of parchment with what looks like a reluctant grin on his face. His hands crumple the edges of the paper, and he laughs. "From Harry," he says simply, when he notices Lily in the room.
"Oh?" Lily asks, perching herself on the arm of his seat. "What's our son done to make you laugh today?"
"It's not what he's done, it's what he's said."James points to a particular line in the letter and looks up at her with a smile."He's referred to me as Grandad here."
"Well, Love, you are," she says, running a hand through James' hair. His own hands tangle around her waist, the letter still in his grasp. "James Sirius is your grandson, and he's coming up in three months now."
"No I know, it's just..." He pauses shaking his head. "Does this mean we're old?"
"Maybe," she concedes."But I like to think we're still young enough for a few things."
James smirks, playing with the hem of her jumper. He pulls his wife onto his lap. "I'll never be to old for that," he tells her.
"You might be too tired, she says. As if determined to prove his statement wrong, James nips at her neck. The letter has fallen to the ground, all but forgotten.
"We've got all the time in the world, dear wife." He pulls away for a moment, allowing her to collect her thoughts while he raises his eyebrows at her. "Sirius and Regulus have gone off to France for some reason or another, and Remus is at Hogwarts teaching. Harry's busy with his growing family. We can work as much or as little as we please. We have an empty nest," he says, gesturing to the room at large.
"Perhaps not empty," says Lily with a small smile.
James plays at looking around for what she might be referencing. "What, the cat? I know I call him my favorite child to annoy Harry, but you do know that neither of us actually gave birth to him, yeah?"
Lily shakes her head one hand falling onto her stomach. "Not the cat."
James freezes. "Not the cat?" he repeats, staring at her with wide eyes.
"No."
He seems to struggle for words. "Lily, you're not... I mean we're not going to... are we?' He looks at her hopefully, likely wondering if his half-formed sentences have conveyed his question.
"We are," she affirms, taking his hand/
His laughter comes free and openly as he reaches to cradle her face in his hands. "Bloody hell, Evans,: he says through his chuckles. "A baby?" We're grandparents. We're old."
"I should point out that your parents had you at nearly seventy." Lily says nudging him with her elbow. "Your happy, though? I know we tried, after Regulus' defection and the Order's horcrux hunt, when we felt safe again. But it didn't happen for us, and Harry's all grown up now..."
"Im estatic," he cuts in, giving her a sound kiss. "This is the best new I've heard in over twenty years."
Lily's demeanor relaxes and she twines herself more firmly with her husband. James is pressing content kisses wherever he can reach when Lily suddenly has her own burst of laughter. "Merlin," she mutters to herself.
:you want to name our baby Merlin? I remember you vetoing that the first time round."
She tweaks her husband's nose for his teasing, but he looks at her expectantly for her real answer, broad smile never leaving his face. "I was just thinking that James Sirius will be in the same year as Hogwarts as our baby," she explains. "Harry's going to have a brother who's the same age as his son."
"He did ask us for a sibling once," James recalls fondly. "We're just eighteen years late on delivery."
"I never was good with deadlines," Lily replies, leaning her head on James' shoulder.
"They haven't always worked in our favor," he agrees. "But we've done pretty well for ourselves regardless."
James' fingers skim Lily's hair as she muses aloud. "Its going to be strange. I've gotten used to handling the baby away to his parents when little James is crying. And its been fun being able to spoil him without feeling guilty."
"We can still spoil this one a little bit," James says. a hand settling on his wife's stomach. "Besides, Harry was too nice as a child. We're due for a troublemaker."
"What, like someone who'll get in trouble for telling his Potions professor he needn't call him, sir?"
James opens his mouth and then shuts it, pursing his lips to contain his smile. "I retract my previous statement."
"It is nice," he acknowledges. He turns so he can meet her eyes. "But if all that pain led to Harry being safe and happy today, I can say I'd change a minute of it."
Lily nods, sighing. "We raised good, kind person, and I'd love to do it again with you." She finally gets up, tugging her husband up with her. "I want to see a Healer to make certain everything is alright with the baby. Coming?"
He grins, taking her hand once more. "Till death do us part."
