Oh Dear Merlin }{ Ted

[Andromeda Tonks]

Andromeda sat on the bathroom floor, holding a strip of paper in front of her. Beside her was a small cauldron, which she had used to mix up the potion... the results of which she was holding in front of her. "Oh Dear Merlin." She whispered to herself. Well, it would explain a lot of things, the results on that little piece of paper. Throwing up almost every morning was a little too much to simply contribute to food. And her recent emotionally distressed state of mind was also accounted for. But how? She thought they had been careful. They had talked about kids, certainly, but neither of them had talked about having kids so soon. That's why they had been careful. But the Gryffindor had done four tests already and all of them had come out the same. There was no denying the fact that she was very much pregnant. While the thought scared her to death it also excited her. She and Ted were going to have a child. It would change things certainly, but hopefully in a good way.

Thinking these optimistic thoughts Andy hoisted herself off of the bathroom floor and ran a hand through her hair. She cleaned up her potions and started to think of the best way to tell Ted. Looking in the mirror she took a deep breath and then smiled. "Teddy, darling. Do you like children? Good because I'm pregnant." No, that was too abrupt. She wanted to inform her husband not knock the sense out of him. "You know, dear, children are such wonderful creatures. I've always wanted them, haven't you?" No that was too round about. If she was going to tell him it didn't need to be so drawn out. Oh dear this was harder than she had thought. Maybe she should leave clues so that he could figure it out himself. No, too much trouble. Finally she concluded that she would just use the Sirius approach and let the moment guide her.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Andy sat down on the couch and waited for Ted to come in from class. It was later in the evening and Andy had already finished her classes. She had skipped supper because, honestly, the very thought of food made her feel nauseous. After waiting patiently for a minute Andy jumped to her feet and began to walk around the room, trying to keep herself from fidgeting or driving herself mad. Where on earth was Ted? Suddenly she heard the portrait open and she lunged towards her husband faster than a lion on its prey. "Teddy!" She exclaimed, only realizing after the fact that this reaction to his entering would probably scare Ted as much as her first plan for telling him about her pregnancy.

[Ted Tonks]

Ted's classes had been picking up quite a bit recently- his NEWTS were approaching and he it was rare, now, that he didn't spend every moment of his day until dinner either in a class or in a study group working with fellow students. This, though, meant that he spent rather a long time away from his new wife- not exactly the ideal situation, but he knew that Andromeda understood. He needed a good job to provide for their little family, whatever was to come in their future. And to do that, Ted needed to pass all his exams with flying colors and prove Dumbledore that he was right to give the muggle born boy a good word in the Muggle Liason office at the ministry.

He walked back up to their little apartment with quick steps, his stomach full and with a small plate of light foods coaxed out of the house-elves after dinner. He had noticed that Andy hadn't been eating much, and that worried him- though if she had a stomach bug, it was no business of his. She was an independent lady, and he tried not to dote and hover over her too much. But that didn't mean he worried.

As the portrait opened to the front room, Ted had only a breif moment to throw the plate he was holding on a side table before he was pounced upon by Andromeda. He let out a noise of surprise, holding his arms above his head for a second. "'Ello, Dromeda. I feel very welcome!" Ted's voice was decidedly amused as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. "What did I do to deserve such unbridled enthusiasm, luv?" He grinned, and pulled away, meeting Andy's eyes with a quizzical tilt of the head. She looked somewhat sheepish and also...something else that he couldn't place. "Is everything alright?"

[Andromeda Tonks]

Ted's reaction to her enthusiastic greeting made Andy laugh nervously. "No, dear. Everything's perfectly alright. I mean, why wouldn't it be alright?" She stated, knowing that she sounded anything but convincing. Suddenly she smelled the food that Ted had brought with him and she felt a small wave of nausea come over her. "Oh Merlin, is that food!" She exclaimed in a despairing voice. It was sweet of him to think of her, but she didn't feel able to tell him so at the moment. Instead she walked over to the couch to get away from the smell. Once she had composed herself she gave Ted an apologetic look. "Sorry, it's just.... food... and I.... aren't getting along so well at the moment. You were very sweet to bring it though." She didn't want Ted to feel that he had done anything wrong, because he hadn't in the least. She was very thankful to have a kind and caring husband. Now to figure out how to tell him why food was not her friend at the moment.

Smiling, Andy looked at her husband. "Um, Teddy. How... what... what is your opinion of children?" She tried to act like it was the most natural question in the world. Folding her hands in her lap she waited patiently for an answer. Poor Ted, he was probably so befuddled, but she was at a loss as to what she should do as a good wife. She should have asked someone who was experienced in all of this. Obviously she was making a royal mess out of the whole thing. "What I mean to ask is, um, how would you feel about having children?" That sure helped to enlighten Ted on the situation. This was all unusual to the Gryffindor girl, she usually knew exactly what to say.

[Ted Tonks]

Ted eyed Andromeda slightly warily as she dodged away from the food he had brought her. surely if the stomach bug she had kept her from even smelling food, it was much more serious than he had anticipated. Her nervous reaction, on the other hand, put him entirely off his game- why would she be nervous about talking to him? The two of them talked about absolutely everything, from bodily functions to feelings without any reservation. Either she was really ill or something absolutely horrible-

But no, the Hufflepuff told himself. If Andy needed to tell him something, he would let her before he let his mind run away with him. He knew that he worried too much- it was a bad habit of his, as easygoing as he seemed to other students. So, gently, he just nodded at Andromeda's explanation about the food.

Her smile reassured him the littlest bit, but her words threw him off again. He looked at her hand clasped in her lap and answered in fits and starts. "I love kids. I mean, they're...kids, you know? Very cute, I..." He paused, and ruffled the hair on the back of his head. But suddenly, his hand froze on his head and his body went stiff in some sort of vague comprehension. In the split second where Ted was formulating an answer, his mind raced to the more intimate times. It was the bath, wasn't it. He was fairly sure that was the only time this sort of thing could happen, if that was even what she meant.

With a sudden movement, Ted sat down on the couch, making the poor thing creak like it was wont to do. "Dromeda..." His voice came out rather hoarse, and suddenly he found himself unable to speak. He simply reached a hand out and set it on her folded ones before finally meeting his wife's eyes. He just met her eyes and waited. Because if she did mean what his brain had concocted...he wanted to hear her say it. He needed to hear it aloud before he could be certain about what he felt.

[Andromeda Tonks]

Andy saw that Ted was starting to become wary and she berated herself on dragging this whole thing out. She was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake, why didn't she have the courage to just tell her husband that she was pregnant. As Ted told her that he liked kids, Andy felt her resolve building up, but then she saw Ted freeze. He had figured it out. Ted might not be a Ravenclaw but he was not stupid. Maybe it would make it better telling him when he had already figured it out. Feeling sheepish, she tucked some hair behind her ear and placed a hand on her stomach, still finding it hard to believe that there was a little life forming in there as they sat on the couch. Hopefully Ted would be happy about having a baby and then she could feel happy about it. But he couldn't be happy until she had told him so she decided to just come on out and affirm the suspicions he was most likely having.

When Ted sat down suddenly, said her name, and took her hand, Andy knew she couldn't stall any longer. "I'm pregnant, Teddy. I don't know how it happened, well, I do know how it happened technically, but you know what I mean. I'm so sorry, I know we weren't planning on having kids for awhile and this probably throws off all the plans you made." Looking at Ted, Andy couldn't decide if she wanted to cry or laugh. To solve the delima she did both. "I'm not used to being this emotional, Ted." She stated in a lost sort of voice. Indeed she was not used to many of the things she was feeling and had been feeling. What she didn't understand was how she was supposed to eat when the very thought of food made her want to vomit. And she needed to eat to keep the baby healthy.

"Oh Merlin, Ted. I'm going to be a mother." Grasping Ted's hand Andy looked at her husband and suddenly realized that she hadn't let him get a word in. "I'm afraid I'll probably be quite insufferable these next few months, Teddy." She bit her lip and gave Ted an apologetic look.

[Ted Tonks]

There were a great number of emotions flowing through Ted at the moment and to be perfectly honest he was just trying to sort through them so he could tell Andy how he was feeling without setting off any of those famous moods pregnant women were predisposed to. It never even crossed his mind that she might be incorrect- Andromeda was and extremely through person, and wouldn't have said anything until she was completely sure. Also, magic forms of pregnancy detection weren't nearly as inexact as Muggle methods.

The Hufflepuff didn't move much as Andy began talking, but he looked down at where their hands were joined on her abdomen while he listened. Plans? He started a bit and then looked back up at Andy. I mean, of course the two of them had plans for the future, but...

And then it hit him, as sure as the tears were falling from his wife's eyes. They were having a baby. His baby. ANDY'S baby. It was like being immersed in warm water, this realization, and his eyes lit up in joy, as yet a bit muted. Hadn't he wanted this, in the back of his head? He watched as Andromeda broke down even further into her tears, and then gathered her up into his arms. "Don't apologize, love, if anything it's just as much my fault as yours..." he let out a small chuckle against her hair and then continued. "Also, don't worry about our plans. The job Dumbledore's getting for me at the Ministry is going to be more than enough to support all..." he paused "All three of us."

He didn't comment on her statement about her emotions- it was true, she wasn't the usual female, wracked by emotions at every turn, but this wasn't even close to being her fault. (Also, he was quite sure it would get worse over the coming months.) He just stroked her hair a bit, before moving his hand down to sit on her abdomen. "You're not just going to be a mother, 'Dromeda, I'm gonna be a father. We...are going to be parents." Ted smiled again.