Kidnapped

Chapter 4: Still the Plan

Sunlight streamed through the windows and reached Lily's closed eyelids; yawning, she rolled over and blindly used the palm of her hand to feel the other side of the bed.

It was empty.

The slight smile on her face vanished as her eyes fluttered open. What time is it anyway? she thought groggily. It wasn't like her to wake up late, and it wasn't like James to leave early for work. She focused her sight on the clock that hung on the wall--it was only seven in the morning.

Lily buried her face in her pillow and groaned. He's gone off to the Ministry again. She worked hard to fight off the growing anger inside her but failed. What's wrong with him? she screamed in her mind in frustration, punching her pillow. The more I tell him I need him with me, the more he stays away! She continued on this note for a few minutes more until she was exhausted and then tenderly stroked her womb, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, baby," she whispered. "I'm sorry for allowing my temper to get the best of me again. It's your father; he's reverting to the prat he was back then." She felt something shift inside, like a little hand waving, and sighed. "We won't let him do that again, will we? We'll put him in his place and show him exactly what he's missing."

She carefully sat up in bed and looked around for the book from Alice she had been reading the night before, spotting it atop their drawers. She reached for it and flipped through the pages, bypassing that island paradise and manor-turned-restaurant her friend referred to.

The Gubraithian Fire Hotel and Garden Restaurant. Keep the flame burning.

Lily burst out laughing despite herself. Who thinks up these lines? Amused, she read some more and found out that it was located just somewhere outside London.

"Everlasting fire," she said aloud. "We're both flared up enough as it is, thank you very much." She finished the text half-heartedly and moved on to the next page.

A picture of a large ship underwater, illuminated by a thousand attractive little lights, stared up at her.

The Halcyon. Lily's lips quirked upward. "Now this sounds interesting."

"Acknowledged as the largest and most extravagant ship worldwide, the Halcyon boasts of an underwater hotel, complete with amenities, and a first-class restaurant. It is located at the heart of the Atlantic, marked on the surface by a rocky landscape, and can be reached through ship, broom or Apparition. Customers can also enjoy schooners for rent and cruise by themselves on the ocean..."

At once, Lily's mind conjured up an image of James and her on the deck of a blue-and-white ocean vessel, enjoying the wind and wrapped in a tight embrace under the stars.

"This is perfect!" she exclaimed. "The two of us, away from everybody else, especially from his work and that darn Ministry..." A happy smile lit her face, and she suddenly felt infused with energy. She put the book down, climbed out of bed and rushed to the kitchen, where she was surprised to find a plate of pancakes being kept warm.

Lily reached for the small piece of paper beside it, knowing it could only come from James.

Good morning, love. I'm sorry about last night. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll be thinking of you at work today, wishing I can be at home for you more often. And I will. I love you, Lily.

P.S. The pancakes are for you. I hope I managed to cook them right.

She burst out laughing; she had some experience with her husband's cooking, and she wasn't too sure she was going to enjoy it. But it's the thought that counts. She grabbed a fork and pierced a small piece, popping it into her mouth.

Amazingly, the bread tasted of the correct mix of sugar, milk and butter. She reached for the plate and hungrily made her way through the small stack, stopping only to take a swig of the tea James had also prepared for her.

"Now this is more like it," she murmured, smiling at the thought that he was finally coming to realise what she was on about. Even when they had not been married, James had always been the first one to apologise whenever they had a row. It might have taken him longer this time, but she was glad he did anyway.

Her mind wandered back to The Halcyon, wondering if tonight would be the perfect time for them to ask him if he wanted to spend their anniversary there. She had no doubt James would agree, of course--being eager to patch things up--but just like with love, it was always nice to hear a confirmation.

After an hour of a hearty breakfast she still wished she could have had with him, she stood up to clear the table and wash the dishes. Lily was feeling incredibly cheerful all of a sudden, what with the prospect of making up with James and spending time alone with him the way she wanted only days from now. As she set about cleaning the house, sweeping the floor and dusting off furniture, she sang a continuous flow of love songs, her feet barely touching the floor because of her light disposition.

Lunch time came, but she didn't even feel hungry enough to prepare herself a full meal, so she merely grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and started for the upstairs. She wanted to read the rest of the book just in case something better came up, but Lily knew in her heart there was none more perfect than the one she had already found. It was a lot like finding the one to marry; everything just clicks and falls into place, and you just know.

She lounged around in bed and flipped disinterestedly through the succeeding pages. Just like she predicted, she saw nothing worth further attention.

The Halcyon it is!

With that in mind, reached for the drawer beside the bed and pulled it open to reveal the purse where she kept all her savings from working at the Auror Division before she got tied down at home due to her pregnancy. Her smile widened as she counted the Galleons. It ought to be enough for Saturday!

Eager to share her lighthearted mood with somebody, Lily returned downstairs to their living room. She twisted open the cap of a bronze urn, scooped some powder out and threw it down the fireplace.

Green flames flickered and then roared.

"Alice?" she called. She thought she could hear muffed voices from her friend's side of the Floo network. "Alice?" she repeated a little louder.

The hushed padding of feet in slippers became more distinct, and soon enough, Alice Longbottom's face appeared in the fire.

"Lily!" she greeted enthusiastically. "It's great to hear from you again! What's going on?"

"Could I come over?" Lily asked hesitantly. "It sounds like you have company..."

A new face appeared beside Alice's, and Lily was somewhat relieved and confused to recognise it as Remus Lupin's.

"Hello, Lily," Remus said warmly, a welcoming smile on his thin face. "I wouldn't mind having extra people around."

Alice laughed and slapped Remus playfully on the shoulder. "She was asking me because I own this house, you prat!"

"What are you doing there anyway, Remus?" Lily asked him curiously, but he simply grinned while Alice put a finger to her lips.

"We cannot say here, Lily," Alice replied. "So you better come over if you want to find out!"

Lily smiled. "Right. I'll be there in a second or so." She gathered another handful of Floo powder and warned, "Stand back." She waited until the fireplace was empty once more before dropping the powder to the floor. "Longbottoms, Lancashire!" The green fire erupted once more, and she found herself spinning wildly before stopping at the grate of a living room she had visited only days ago. She stepped out of the fireplace to face Alice and Remus, both of whom were grinning at her.

Alice welcomed her with a hug, which was followed by another one from Remus. Distracted to find the two of them working together, she forgot about telling Alice her plans for James.

"So what brings you here, Remus?" Lily enquired as she trailed after them into the dining room.

Remus grinned at her. "I was about to ask the same thing." At Lily's narrowed eyes, however, his expression became serious and he motioned for her to examine the large parchment spread out on the table. "This."

Lily's jaw dropped open as she realised what she was looking at. "It's a map of London! Wizard and Muggle London! And you're..."

He nodded. "We're trying to do what we did with the Marauder's Map, yes. Alice and I have been working on it for almost a month now."

"But aren't Sirius and James and Peter supposed to be helping you?"

Alice shrugged and answered for him. "They're quite busy with other matters, aren't they?" She raised her brows and looked at Lily significantly. "By the way, how are you and James?"

The frown that had been creasing Lily's forehead disappeared at the mention of her husband's name, and her face broke into a smile. "Looking up, at the very least," she responded lightly. "We fought again last night, but this morning he left me pancakes and..." She broke off at the annoying smirk on Remus' face. "What are you so smug about?"

"I don't see anything new about that, you and James fighting and then making up and then fighting again," Remus wisecracked. "Ow!" he winced when he received a large swat on the arm.

"Cut your cheek, Moony," Lily warned, hands on her hips this time. She couldn't help but end up laughing, however. Remus was right; no matter what happened in the past, she and James had always managed to put everything right. What was she so worried about? "Like I was saying," she continued, turning to face Alice this time, "I was reading your book."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Yeah? So how do you find it so far?"

"I found the perfect place!" the redhead announced happily. "An underwater ship, a cruise for just the two of us--I can't wait to tell James about it!"

Remus' brows furrowed; he had forgotten that his friends' wedding anniversary was on Saturday. It wasn't that he should remember, of course, but it got him thinking how very rarely he had seen James the past few weeks.

"Oh, I know that," Alice agreed. "We plan to go there after I give birth. So when are you going to tell James?"

"Tonight, after he arrives from work," Lily said. "He will say yes; I'm sure of it." She pursed her lips thoughtfully and commented, "I'm thinking of going there by Friday night so we can spend the entire Saturday there, what do you think?"

As Alice enthusiastically concurred and the women proceeded to talk about their husbands, Remus turned his attention to the parchment, prodding the lines with his wand and muttering charms and incantations as quietly as he could. He went on this way for about two hours or so, almost completely tuning out the conversation around him, which was punctuated with laughter and giggles.

Lily's green eyes fell on the clock; it was already four in the afternoon. "I've got to get home! I'm sorry for keeping you both from your work," she apologised as she rose from her seat.

Remus looked up, his blue eyes somewhat in a daze. "Not me," he said, while Alice just smiled.

"It's fine, Lily. We were going to work on this tomorrow anyway," Alice assured her. She stood up, and Remus did as well to escort Lily back to the living room.

"I expect I'll be hearing from you tomorrow," Alice said impishly just before she kissed Lily goodbye on the cheek.

"I'll let you know what happens tonight," Lily promised. "Good luck with the map. Bye, Remus."

Alice and Remus waited until Lily had disappeared from the fireplace before making their way back to the dining room.

"Order work once more," Alice muttered to herself. "Frank isn't going to be home on Friday, did you know? He'll be on another mission."

Remus patted her hand consolingly, not bothering to speak any words of comfort. She smiled gratefully at him, however, and said, "It's about time I help you, isn't it?"

"I was wondering when you would say that," Remus quipped.

"Honestly, Remus, I have no idea what makes people say you're the kindest of all the Marauders," Alice remarked. She had trained her eyes on the parchment, her mind starting to refocus on the task at hand, when another disturbing thought struck her.

"Hold on," she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Remus looked at her quizzically.

"If Frank will not be around on Friday, that means James won't be as well!"

* * * * * * *

"That can't be right," James mumbled as he prodded a strip of potato with a fork. It was supposed to be quite soft enough to eat already, and yet it wasn't. I must have done something wrong. He soon decided that he had not boiled it enough after having left it for half an hour; with a flick of his wand, he set the stove on fire once more and decided to inspect the pot roast. He scooped some on a spoon and tasted it. It wasn't as excellent as what his wife would have accomplished, but it was good enough.

He had arrived home at six in the evening to find Lily asleep, that book on romantic getaways still on her pillow. He had been so tempted to look at it and check it for places he could whisk her off to for a most wonderful, intimate weekend, but what would she say if she caught him reading something like that? James snickered to himself as he set about fixing the table for two, quickly putting the red roses in the tall crystal vase at the centre of the table. He had bought a fresh dozen from the Muggle flower shop outside the Ministry telephone booth to complete tonight. Hopefully, she would like it.

"She will," he voiced out in optimism. After all, she did eat those pancakes he had left that morning, didn't she? She didn't give it to the dogs or something? The only reassurance he had was that they didn't own a dog anyway.

James heard soft footsteps down the stairs and rushed to the bottom to see Lily, beautiful despite her dishevelled hair, descending.

"Hello, love," he said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Had a good sleep?"

Her nose was wrinkled in a way that suggested she smelt something not to her liking. "Are you cooking something, James?"

He almost dropped her hand in surprise. Blimey, I forgot! "Dinner. I think I might have left something in the kitchen though." He left her for a few moments and returned with a bowl of what looked liked crisp potato strips. James looked fearfully at his wife.

Relief sizzled through his veins when she laughed. "We're supposed to be having fries?" Lily joked as she walked to the table and sat down.

James set the bowl down and sat perpendicular to her. "Not really, but the potatoes changed their minds at the last minute." He held her hand again and stroked it gently. "How do you feel now? Still dizzy?"

"I feel better," Lily answered, secretly pleased that he asked. "It's quite normal for a pregnant woman to feel nauseated and irritable at times, you know."

"I know now," James said. "Noticed the roses? They are for you."

Lily glanced at the flowers adorning the vase on the table and squeezed his hand in return. "Thanks. I love them."

James leaned towards her and kissed her. "I'm sorry about last night, love."

"I know," Lily replied as she messed up his hair for him. "I saw the note you left me this morning. I was touched actually; I didn't know you knew how to cook!" She let out a little laugh.

"With love, nothing's impossible," James said solemnly. He reached for the food and began putting some on his wife's plate. "Do you--do you forgive me now?" he asked nervously.

Lily licked her lips, watching him squirm. She tapped the bridge of his nose with her index finger and said, "Yes, I forgive you now, especially since you've shown how sorry you really are."

His mood lighter than it had ever been over the past weeks, James smiled and pulled her to him for another kiss. They ate their dinner through both playful banter and serious conversation about how the day had gone, and that was when Lily remembered that she had something to ask James.

"Love?" she started, entwining her fingers with his.

"Yes?"

"It's our anniversary on the sixteenth," Lily said, carefully watching his face for any sign of surprise. There was none, and it thrilled her.

James lifted his hand and allowed his thumb to fan across her cheek. "Of course I remember. I was going to ask you about that as well."

"You were?"

He grinned. "Yes. I assume you, Mrs. Potter, won't be doing anything on Saturday except spend it with me?"

Lily frowned thoughtfully. "Has it escaped your notice that I'm married? I am going to be spending my weekend with my husband."

James let out a laugh and tickled her waist, causing her to erupt in giggles. "So that's a yes, eh?" He needed to know Lily wasn't going to be anywhere so he could pull of his plan of taking her where she didn't know. Of course, the way things were going, he could have easily asked her and she would have said yes, but James had heard it said that romance needed to be spiced up a bit every once in a while. So yes, I still am going to 'kidnap' her.

"Can we not go somewhere by Friday night? Start our celebration early?" Lily requested.

Ah, so she wants to be there by Friday night. James mentally jotted that down. "Well, love, we have a raid scheduled that night," he responded cautiously. He, Frank and the other Aurors did have one, and although he did not have the slightest intention of going, he thought it was the perfect excuse for her not to expect anything on that night. The only problem is it might backfire on me.

Lily just sighed in resignation. She vowed to herself that if James was going to be more understanding about her situation, she would be about his as well. "Okay. Saturday then? Is that definite?"

James nodded and kissed her forehead. "Where do you want to go?" If she names a place, then I won't have to look very hard anymore.

"I'll bring you where I want to go," Lily said. "I want it to be a surprise."

He chuckled to himself. Lily didn't have any inkling she was going to be one who would be surprised. "Fine, sweetheart. I'm all yours." He winked at her, and she felt herself melt like a schoolgirl at his silly antics.

They cleaned up together before snuggling under the bed covers, both of them warm and sated. James gazed at Lily as she drifted off to sleep, anticipating her reaction when he finally showed her how he meant to celebrate their anniversary. She wasn't going to be bored, that was for sure.

Just as he was about to turn off the lamp, he spotted that book with the many little hearts once more. James glanced quickly at Lily to make sure she was asleep and reached for it, wondering if it was indeed any good for her to actually read it. After slipping on his glasses once more, he rustled as fast and yet as quietly as he could through the pages, not wanting to wake her up and get caught.

Manor, island, Gubraithian Fire, Halcyon, no. He was halfway done and he didn't even see anything decent.

Wait. The Halcyon?

His hazel eyes raced through the information provided, and for one wild moment he imagined spending some quality time alone with his wife in the middle of the ocean, with nobody and nothing to bother them.

James closed the book and replaced it, wanting to clap his hands and whoop with delight. He kissed his wife tenderly once more before flicking the light off and sliding under the blanket.

I've got it! I've found the perfect place!

* * * * * * *

Lily was up early the following morning to prepare their breakfast and see James off to work. She smiled at the memory of the night they had spent; it had been too long since they had been together like that, and she was glad she and James were back to normal.

She turned towards the doorway to the kitchen to see James stride in, already in his dress robes and whistling a happy tune.

"Morning, love," James greeted, wrapping his arm around her waist in one smooth move and kissing her passionately.

"Morning," she returned afterwards, quite breathless. "The eggs are ready, James. You better eat now or you'll be late for work." She transferred them from the pan to the plate and headed to the adjacent dining room with James behind her.

He pulled her chair out for her, and she blushed while piling three scrambled eggs--one on top of the other--on his plate. James finished them in a flash, along with bread and coffee, and exhaled in contentment.

"Terrific, as always," James told her.

Lily laughed, pleased. "Those were just eggs."

"That makes it even more terrific, how you get them to taste so good even when they're supposed to be plain." He stood up and embraced her from behind. "What would I ever do without you?" he murmured in her ear. "Remind me so again when I start acting like a bloody idiot."

"Language, James," Lily admonished lightly. "I thought we had it clear that you were not to need any reminding any more?"

James played with her hair before answering. "Ah, of course. I love you very much, Lily."

Lily smiled and stood up to return his embrace. "I love you too, James." They leaned toward each other to share another slow, sweet kiss before walking to the living room, where James left for work via the fireplace.

Once James had gone, Lily assumed the task of cleaning the house once more--but with the aid of magic, of course. Even as she did so, her thoughts drifted again to last night.

So much for telling him about my plans, she sighed in disappointment. It wasn't a big deal, but she wanted so much to be there at The Halcyon by Friday night. It was much more romantic to start off during the night, but she had to compete with a raid for James's attention. Of all things to compete with!

Lily lamented this fact to both Alice and Remus that afternoon.

"I had meant to tell you earlier, but it slipped my mind. That must be really frustrating," Alice said in sympathy. "I don't know why, after making up with you, James decides not to skip this raid to give in to what you want!"

"His work is important too, Alice," Lily reasoned out. "I think we both understand each other a little better now. Besides, I don't want to be angry with him anymore."

Remus, who had once again been left to working on the map on his own, volunteered, "I can drop by the Ministry and ask James to miss this raid."

"That won't be necessary, Remus," Lily replied. "I'm sure James would have done so by himself if it wasn't so important." She sighed and then giggled. "If I could only tie him to bed at home so he wouldn't leave, eh?"

Remus smiled slightly at the image of his fellow Marauder tied to the bed while Alice excitedly slapped her hand on the table.

"Lily!" she shrieked. "That's it!"

"That's what?" Lily repeated in confusion.

"That's the answer to your problem!"

Remus glanced from one woman to another interestedly. "You mean you really want Lily to bind James in rope?"

Lily laughed. "Come on, Alice. I was just joking. If I do that, he's going to miss out on one whole day at the office. I can wait until Saturday, you know. It falls exactly on the sixteenth anyway."

"But I thought you wanted to be at The Halcyon by Friday night," Alice countered.

"I do," Lily approved. "But I want to be there with him too."

"So bring him," Alice insisted.

Lily opened her mouth to protest, but even as she was about to form the words, her head was spinning. Bring him? Against his will?

That's an idea, a second voice inside her head said.

But won't he be mad? asked the first.

If he really wants to spend time with you, he won't be, the second voice declared. Lily didn't hear any response to this statement and took it to mean that the second voice had won.

"Earth to Lily?" Alice laughed, waving a hand in her friend's face.

Lily blinked and sat up straighter in her chair. "Alice, I think you might be on to something. I can't believe I've never thought about this before!" Her two friends waited for her to continue. "I'm going to kidnap him!"

"Kidnap him?" Alice and Remus echoed in concern.

"Lily, I said bring him," Alice corrected.

Remus had doubled over laughing in his seat. "Do you know that this sounds like a Marauder idea?" he asked. "Kidnapping someone to go on a date with him..."

"Wait, listen," Lily pleaded, speaking rapidly now as the plan began taking shape in her head. "Don't you see how it all falls into place? I want him to be with me by Friday night, but he says he has work to attend to. I know I said it's fine with me, but I realise now that I think it's about time I do what I want, isn't it? Besides, I know he's going to let me have my own way on Saturday. It's just a matter of having my own way a little early." She beamed at them, not registering their expressions of stupefaction.

There was silence for a few moments as both attempted to gather their wits. Remus cleared his throat. "Okay, Lily," he said. "You have made a case with your points. But how do you plan to pull this off?"

"That'll be easy," Lily answered promptly. "I just need to find out exactly where James will be early evening tomorrow and have one--or maybe two--people blindfold him and bring him to The Halcyon, where I'll be waiting for him."

Alice pretended not to catch the hint. "That sounds doable, I guess," she said doubtfully. "Who are you going to ask as your accomplices?"

Lily grinned at them. "Isn't it obvious?"

Remus and Alice exchanged wary looks.

"I don't know about this, Lily..." Remus said.

She simply met his eyes and held them for several seconds before Remus sighed and nodded in agreement. "Okay, Lily. You've got yourself a partner in crime. For you and James."

Alice let out a small laugh. "When you put it that way, Remus, how can I possibly decline my best friend?"

Lily hugged Alice and Remus gratefully before sitting down again. "Thank you," she said giddily. "Remus, not a word to Sirius or Peter, okay?"

"But I can tell James?" Remus joked.

The redhead pretended to glare at him. "Here are the details so far," Lily started, sounding business-like all of a sudden. "I'll Floo you tomorrow by four in the afternoon to confirm if James is at the Ministry and what time he'll be getting out of there. Maybe you can then Apparate to the Ministry and keep a watch on James?"

Remus shrugged. "Got it, so far. Alice?"

"Yes. And then we get him? Blindfold him and take him to The Halcyon?"

Lily nodded, her lips twitching.

"But how are we supposed to get there?" Alice wondered. She turned to Remus. "Could we make a Portkey?"

"I suppose," Remus agreed. "So once we get there, we'll remove the cloth from his eyes so all he'll see is you." He shook his head in amusement. "This is the craziest scheme I've ever heard--not counting those I've seen James come up with, of course."

"It's a good thing Frank won't be around tomorrow night," the blond woman told them. "But another potential problem occurred to me. What if James puts up a fight when we try to get him?"

Lily smiled in satisfaction. "I've already thought of that. Listen..." She lowered her voice and laid out the finer workings of her plan. When she had finished, Alice and Remus were both looking at her with amazement.

"I never knew you had it in you, Lily," Remus commented, meaning it as a compliment.

"You're going to scare James out of his wits," Alice added.

Lily crossed her arms and grinned. "Well. Let's give a certain dark-haired and hazel-eyed Marauder a lesson in romance he won't be likely to forget, shall we?"