Kidnapped

Chapter 3: The Plan

"Lily!" Alice Longbottom exclaimed as the red-haired woman stepped out of her fireplace and brushed soot off her robes. "This is a pleasant surprise!" She kissed her friend on both cheeks before asking, "What brings you here?" It was past six on Tuesday evening, and it was usually during this time that Lily was most busy, preparing dinner and cleaning the house in anticipation of her husband's return from work.

The redhead smiled weakly and returned Alice's greeting before sitting on a nearby couch. "Just wanted to visit to see how you were doing," Lily replied. "You look terrific, by the way," she added, envying the way the blond woman seemed to be full of colour, of life.

Alice shyly played with her chin-length hair and sat down beside her. "Frank and I just came back from an island, where we celebrated our first wedding anniversary." She reached for Lily's hand and remarked, "You look pale, Lily. Are you sick? Is there something wrong?"

Lily sighed, and Alice's clear blue eyes widened in alarm. "That's not a very happy sound."

"No, it's not," Lily agreed, sighing again. "I'm not sick," she said when Alice felt her forehead with her palm. "It's just that... James and I have been encountering some problems lately."

"Like what?" Alice queried, concerned.

Lily shrugged. "I don't know where it all started, Alice. But maybe it was because he was spending so much time at the Ministry... I mean, I know he has to work, but does he have to work all the time? I know he's doing a noble job of trying to track down those Death Eaters, but doesn't he still have responsibility at home?" She exhaled in frustration, wondering why her husband couldn't comprehend the point she was driving at the night before.

Alice patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. "I see," she assured understandingly after a pause. "Did you know that I also complained about the same thing? It was actually why Frank took a leave from office, and we decided to spend a week somewhere just to take a break from everything that had been happening."

"Yes, but Frank listened--"

"And James will, I'm sure," Alice interrupted. "Have you talked to him yet? I mean really talk to him?"

Lily flushed. "No," she mumbled. "We just... yelled at each other."

Alice smiled. "He will listen to you, Lily. The James Potter I know is very much in love with you; he will do anything you ask him to." The last few words coaxed a wobbly smile out of the redhead.

"So I just have to talk to him? Calmly and nicely?" Lily clarified.

"That depends," Alice answered immediately. "Has he apologised to you yet after your fight?"

Lily nodded, once again embarrassed at how childish she had acted that morning.

Alice shrieked with delight and hugged her. "So what's keeping the two of you from making up? Listen, there's no sense allowing each other to agonise over such a trivial matter, and one that can be easily resolved at that."

"Ever the romantic," Lily muttered, shaking her head both in resignation and amusement.

"You'd do well to learn from me," the vivacious blond replied. "Being romantic is an integral part of maintaining a marriage. You have to surprise your partner once in a while. So do you promise me you're going to patch things up with James?"

Lily hesitated.

"Come on, Lily. Being depressed is going to be bad for your baby."

Lily laughed at the line of convincing her friend had taken to. "Fine, Alice. I promise."

"Not just for the baby, Lily. For you and James."

"Okay. For James and me," the redhead parroted, liking how it sounded anyway. It seemed like it had been ages since she had thought of James and her together.

Alice smiled, pleased at the successful way she had lightened up Lily's mood. "Now that it's out of the way," she began, "have you got something planned for Saturday?"

Disconcerted, Lily repeated, "Saturday?"

The blond rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Lily, it's the sixteenth on Saturday, remember? It's your first wedding anniversary! Don't tell me you have forgotten!"

"I haven't," Lily responded, a little guiltily. "I just accidentally pushed it out of my mind."

"Well, don't," Alice said impatiently. "Really, I don't know what's gotten into everybody else lately. People must realise that it is during these dark times that you must stick closer to the ones you care about, must ensure that they do know how much you love them."

"Right," Lily agreed, slightly abashed. "So what should I do? Prepare a romantic, candlelit dinner for two at home?"

Alice tilted her head to one side as she pondered her friend's suggestion. "That would be intimate, of course, but personally I would rather eat out than be encumbered with all the preparations. But that's good; James would definitely appreciate your effort." Her eyes lit up when an idea struck her. "Wait!" she exclaimed. "I just remembered! Stay here, okay? I'll go get something."

Before Lily could voice her assent, Alice had already bolted out of her seat and had dashed upstairs. Lily giggled as she heard the unmistakable noise from above of objects being thrown to the floor; she guessed that the blond was having some difficulty looking for whatever it was she wanted to show her. After another minute, Lily heard her hurried footsteps as she descended the stairs to the living room.

Alice plopped down beside her once more, holding a book with a white cover peppered with...

"Hearts?" Lily asked, wrinkling her nose. "Are those hearts?"

"Of course," Alice affirmed. She held the book up to the light so Lily could get a better look at it. "This, Lily, is one of your best guides to a romantic vacation. It lists the most divine getaways and describes each one of them in detail--the location, amenities, the costs you're going to incur..." She handed it to Lily, who began flipping interestedly through the pages. "That's where Frank and I got the idea of where to go."

She watched the redhead scan the book's contents and noted the increasing light in her green eyes as she read more. She was satisfied when Lily looked up and asked, "Can I borrow this, Alice? Just until this Saturday?"

Alice waved her question away. "Certainly, Lily. In fact, I would have been disappointed if you had not shown even the tiniest bit of excitement about it."

Lily closed the book and grinned. "Thanks, Alice. I'm glad I came to visit."

"Anytime," Alice said, her eyes straying to the clock. "Now shouldn't you be getting home? You shouldn't leave James waiting."

"I forgot," Lily said, jumping up and tucking the book into her robes. She did not bother contradicting her friend's notion that her husband might not even be home until ten. Alice stood up as well, and Lily kissed her on the cheek before saying goodbye and rushing to the fireplace.

"Tell me what happens, okay?" Alice requested at the same time that her friend was engulfed by the lively green flames. She saw Lily nod, her lips curved in a wide smile, just as she spun and disappeared from her sight.

* * * * * * *

James leaned back against the couch and watched as the spinning of what he knew was his wife's form slowed down to a stop. She stepped out of the fireplace, her eyes directed down at her clothes as she tried to rid them of the ash.

"Where have you been?" James enquired, sounding a little harsher than he had intended.

Lily's head jerked upwards in surprise; he was correct in assuming that she had not seen her before he had spoken. "Oh, you're home," she replied, not really answering his question. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was barely seven o'clock. Why is he home so early? "I didn't expect you this soon," she remarked, walking straight towards the kitchen without greeting him with a welcoming kiss. "I'll prepare dinner as soon as I can, don't worry."

James stood up and followed her, touching her lightly on the arm. "It's fine; I've already eaten outside."

Blood rushed to her head at his words. She knew he meant nothing malicious with them, but they stung her nonetheless. "Then I won't bother cooking anymore," she retorted, pulling her arm away from him. "Next time, tell me in advance, okay?" She tried to leave the kitchen and head for their room, but James blocked her path.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Not anymore," Lily snapped, still trying to push him out of her way.

"I'm sorry I didn't bring home some food for you," James apologised, knowing that he had somehow made her angry again--though how, he couldn't figure out. "I forgot."

Lily snorted. "Well, what's new there?" A sudden kick from inside her womb caused a spasm to run through her, and she rushed to the sink to throw up. Worried, James trailed after her. He saw that she was in pain, but how was he supposed to help ease it?

"Lily? Are you sick?" James asked, stroking her shoulders.

I'm pregnant, you dolt. She washed her mouth with water before turning to face him, her eyes flashing. "The stress of our relationship is making me sick," she spat out.

Stunned, James allowed her to push him aside as she charged past him and marched up the stairs. He stood staring into nothingness for several minutes, wondering how things had quickly gone from bad to worse. He stormed his way back into their living room and kicked a corner of the couch. He didn't even wince from the pain, for nothing could beat the anguish this estrangement from his wife was causing him. He sat down on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

A good half hour passed before he was able to compose himself enough to stand up and climb the stairs to check on his wife. She was dressed in her favourite blue nightgown and was sleeping soundly. She looked so fragile, but then again, James knew more than anybody else that Lily was stronger than she seemed. He knelt on the floor and kissed her reverently, wishing they could both unsay the hurtful things they had thrown at each other.

That was when James noticed the book Lily was hugging close to her chest. He carefully tugged at it until it broke free from her grasp, thankful that she had not woken up.

PARADISE.

The Top Ten Perfect Romantic Getaways.

Choose your own Garden of Eden, and keep the passion burning!

James didn't know whether to laugh or frown, to be pleased or be insulted that his wife had to resort to a manual like this.

But where did she get it?

* * * * * * *

"Hell, James, you're turning into a workaholic," Sirius complained when he saw his best friend already hard at work as early as seven the following morning.

James looked up from the map he had been studying and grinned wanly. "Whatever happened to hello?"

Sirius ignored his crack and sat down in front of his desk. He crossed his legs elegantly and said, "I didn't get the chance yesterday to as you how things between you and Lily are."

He did not answer and merely pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Well?" Sirius demanded.

James frowned. "No improvement yet," he answered quite roughly. "I thought there would be some, but I screwed it up again last night so I'm back to square one."

Sirius groaned. "Prongs, may I ask why then are you wasting your time in this forsaken office and not kneeling in front of her, trying to mend things?"

"Look," James replied with a glare. "I'm here early because I'm trying to finish planning the next operation ahead of time. I'm planning to go home as soon as I can in order to prepare dinner for Lily and me, okay? Now bugger off and let me accomplish something."

"That's a great idea, James," a new voice said from the doorway. Both men inside the office glanced up to see Frank making his way to them, holding a stack of parchment. "Moody asked me to give them to you," he added, placing them on his table.

James groaned. "Terrific," he said sarcastically. "Exactly what I needed--more work."

"You don't need to read them until next week," Frank informed him.

"As if that makes any difference," James grumbled.

"It does," Frank insisted. "Listen, Alice told me Lily visited her yesterday."

James jerked his head up. "Run that by me again?" he requested, astonished.

"Alice told me Lily visited her yesterday," Frank repeated. "She said Lily seemed a bit pale, kind of tired." He grinned sheepishly at the bespectacled man. "I don't want to go into the details, mate, but I hope you're doing all you can to work things out. I couldn't help but overhear your plan. That's good, really good," he encouraged.

So that was where she had come from last night. James was turning into a furious shade of crimson. Why was everybody suddenly so knowledgeable about their marital affairs?

"If you're going to cook for her tonight," Frank said, "then what are you going to do on your anniversary?"

James clenched his fists. "Frank, as much as I'd hate to be impolite, it really is none of your business."

Frank grinned sheepishly. "Okay, okay," he surrendered. "I can tell when I'm not wanted. Just call me if you change your mind." He sauntered out of the office, much to James's relief.

"Git," James muttered darkly, returning to what he was reading.

"He was just trying to help," Sirius offered. "Being nosy, maybe, but he meant well."

James pulled at his hair in frustration. "When I need help, Padfoot, I'm going to ask for it. Besides, I already know what to do on Saturday."

Sirius smirked. "Really? What?"

"I'm going to take her out," James mumbled behind sheets of paper.

"Where?" Sirius insisted.

James threw him a dirty look. "I haven't gotten that far yet."

Sirius laughed. "Hey, Frank!" he called, knowing his voice would carry over to the other cubicle.

Within moments, Frank was peering at around their door. "What is it?"

"Got any idea where James can take Lily out on Saturday night?"

Frank grinned. "I've got lots of ideas," he replied. "You can take her to that island Alice and I visited just last week, or to that big manor-turned-restaurant just outside London..." He scratched his head. "You know, I can lend you a book that contains all the great places you can whisk her off to for a romantic getaway."

His words recalled to James's mind the book he had found in his wife's possession the night before. "Er--Frank, that's not necessary," he said. "I think I know now where I'm going to take her anyway." He made up his mind to sneak a peek at the guide's contents when he got home.

"Good," Frank said with approval. "Best of luck then, James," he said with a wink before returning to his office.

James sat back in his chair, the wheels within his mind turning. It would delight Lily, he was sure, if he took her to a romantic place where they could concentrate on nothing but each other. Just as soon as he was about to smile, however, a possible problem hit him, and he ended up creasing his forehead instead.

"What are you thinking about now, Prongs?" Sirius asked, watching the emotions flicker across his best friend's face.

"I just realised that I haven't been very good with words lately, especially when it comes to Lily," James answered slowly, drawing out each word. "Supposing I ask her to go out with me on Saturday, what if it goes out all wrong, and she ends up slapping me in the face?"

Sirius chuckled. "She hasn't done that since sixth year."

James glowered at him. "Well, yes, that's beside the point."

"So you're not very slick with words, eh?" Sirius said. "Well, you know what some Muggle said. Actions speak louder than words."

"How did you know that?" James asked, seriously astonished.

"You told me that," Sirius countered. "Several times, especially just before you acted on some doomed plan to get Lily Evans to go out with you."

"Potter, Padfoot," James corrected. "Lily Potter."

Sirius brushed that remark away. "Whatever. Do you know, I find it strange that you, of all people, are at a loss for some romantic scheme." He smirked. "You're losing your touch, Prongs."

James decided to do the more mature thing and ignored his barb. "When you say actions speak louder than words, you mean I have to show her just how sorry I am and how much I love her?"

"Obviously," Sirius agreed, annoyed that it was taking forever for James to catch up.

"So I'm going to ask her to go with me."

Sirius groaned. "No, James. You're going to take her with you."

Completely befuddled, James said, "Take her with me? Even against her will?"

Finally! "Yes, you prat."

"You mean like kidnap her?"

Sirius sighed. "I already said yes, didn't I?"

Kidnap her. James's face broke into a wide grin as the plan began to take shape in his mind. "You know, Padfoot, for a dog, you're pretty smart."

"Oh, yeah, especially since I've known right from the start that stags are more brawn than brain," Sirius smarted.

James either did not hear him or decided to let that pass, too engrossed in his thoughts. "Kidnap her..."