One Step Ahead Part II | Sirius Black

Chapter 200

The Veela glances up from the batter she's mixing to find that the kitchen has grown uncomfortably silent. Gwen quirks a brow at Sirius' slack jaw, musing, "Have I offended you?"

"No, I think you've finally shut him up, Ninnie!"

Gwen smiles over her boyfriend's shoulder at her friend with flaming red hair and eyes the color of emeralds. The only one not stunned by Gwenyth's blasé statement, was Lily Evans. And Euphemia Potter.

The older witch smiles at her daughter in law before looking at Remus and Regulus and saying incredulously, "Get the poor girl a chair!"

Remus' cheeks turn bright red and he hurries forward, pulling out a chair for Lily and quickly gesturing for her to sit. Sirius whirls around, pinning his best friend's wife with a bemused stare as he says blankly, "Pregnant."

"Yes, Sirius," Gwen calls over her shoulder. "I do believe that is what I said."

"I've about had it with your smart mouth, Inferi," Sirius grumbles loudly, his lips twitching up into a smile as he stares at Lily Evans. She grins back, saying cheekily, "It seems as if I've finally given in to James' charm."

Sirius barks out a shocked laugh, striding over to bend down and hug the girl his friend had loved for so long. His eyes burn slightly, an overwhelming sense of excitement nearly bringing him to tears as he says, "Congrats, Evans!"

Regulus joins Lily at the table, a nervous expression on his face until he finally reaches out and grasps her hand. A baby. The first baby that their odd group would have. And even Regulus was excited despite the awkwardness emotions still caused in him. Remus and Regulus launch into questioning the redhead, Euphemia joining them to help her answer the flurry of curiosities. Sirius brings a fist to his mouth, smiling and biting down slightly on his knuckle. A baby.

A baby.

He cranes his neck, peering over his shoulder to find that Gwen is leaning against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. She smiles faintly when their eyes meet, and then he's returning to her side, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

"You wicked little being. Keeping more secrets," Sirius mutters playfully, chuckling lowly when Gwen shrugs, saying plainly, "I thought it was rather obvious, mon rêve."

Sirius hums in acknowledgement, his hands drawn to her hips like magnets as he wonders, "And how did you known then, almighty seer?"

Gwen grins, her nose crinkling as she murmurs, "Intuition."

Sirius rolls his eyes, squeezing her hips roughly before briefly peering over his shoulder at where Remus is now holding Lily's other hand, looking like he may burst with happiness. Gwen's smile grows soft as she studies Sirius, his own smile warmer and full of life. He was beautiful. He laughed, blushed, kissed her to shut her up whenever she said it. But he was. He was so beautiful, his eyes held the constellations that she would suffer for over and over again. He was her dream.

"You ever think about having one of those?"

She's stirred from her star gazing by the odd words. One of those.

Those.

A baby.

She blinks rapidly, her brows furrowing at the almost wistful expression on his face. The bridge of his nose pinks alongside his cheeks at her silence. Gwen watches his throat bob before he mutters hurriedly, "I mean—"

"Sometimes."

It's his turn to be silent, his turn to look at her. Her face is smooth, free of stress or worry. She was so open, so simple despite the complicated things she sometimes kept to herself. Gwen quirks a brow at his surprised face, asking earnestly, "Is that not the answer you wanted?"

Sirius chokes on a laugh, his hands sliding from her hips to her back, bringing her closer, bringing her tighter against his front. Her heart pounds rhythmically, quick but steady as he stammers, "I-I...it's the answer I wanted."

Gwen grins slightly and nods, saying gently, "I do think about it. You'd make a very cute pregnant person, Sirius."

He scoffs at the foolish joke, savoring her quiet laughter. He pinches her skin under her shirt as she swats at his arms, her dimple appearing when he mumbles sarcastically, "You're hilarious, Inferi. You'd have made a great hufflepuff."

They smile at each other, Gwen glancing over his shoulder at Euphemia pouring Lily a cup of tea. Her heart warms and she murmurs, "I don't want one yet. But....we can talk about it."

Sirius grins and leans in to press a lingering kiss to her cheek. Gwen pushes him away, smiling as she turns to grab the cake pans and place them in the oven.

"We can talk about it," Sirius agrees from behind her. She nearly falters, maybe she does just enough for him to notice when he says simply, "You'll have to marry me first."

He definitely notices her slip in passiveness, she can tell by his amused chuckle as he walks away. A baby. Marriage. Her heart rate stutters, and she smiles.

Witch Weekly would definitely be hearing from her about that award.

{{eeeeeek!}}