2 Dec ‘79: A Sweet Surprise: Mary

[Alice Longbottom]

2 December 1979

She had figured her lifestyle would catch up to her one day, but as Alice started the kettle in the kitchen she was annoyed that it had been today. Since her graduation from Hogwarts, she’d had a standing pact with her sister that they would get together at least once a month. That had been difficult during her accelerated Auror training, and with Mary still being at Hogwarts. But they had done it then, and continued the tradition since Mary had graduated. And as far as Alice was concerned, it was going to happen for the rest of their lives. One day, her and Frank would find a place that wasn't the guest house on the Longbottom property. As much as she loved being near Maury, some days it was taxing to live up to Augusta's expectations. Alice wanted to be closer to Mary and Roderick, it was important to her to keep her family close. It was rather unfortunate that she was so under the weather though, as the last thing she wanted to do was give her sister a cold.

Pulling her cardigan around her, Alice picked up the letter from her parents that had arrived a few days before. The two were finally starting to enjoy life outside of the country, the detailed letter about their latest adventure tugging on her heart. She had known she would miss them when she had moved out, but it was harder with them being so far away. Months had passed since the last time she had seen them, and she found herself missing them. It was always in the quiet moments like this when she really got to thinking about it that it would hit her, the ache in her chest at the wonder of how long it would be before she could see them again. It was safer for them to be apart, it’d been a necessity for them to leave when the Dark Lord had so easily gained access to their home.

A happy greeting from the front door drew her out of her thoughts, and as soon as Mary found her in the kitchen, Alice wrapped her sister in a hug. “You look marvelous, as always,” she said with a laugh, giving her sister's hand a squeeze. Her sister, who was currently dating the one that got away during their years at school, and had volunteered his services to the Order as a healer on more than one occasion. “You’ll have to fill me in on you and Roderick, anything that I’ve missed?”

[Mary Macdonald]

"Hello!" Mary let herself into Alice's home familiarly, not losing the honor that that was, what with protections so high nowadays, and slipped out of her boots and coat in the entry before going to find her sister. While they had been making good on their long-term promise to have their own date night at least once a month, this month's was timed perfectly. Mary didn't like to be alone on nights when Roderick was working, because that let her mind go places she'd rather it stay far away from. It was reassuring that her Healer of a husband was joined by people as capable and lovely as Andromeda when he was at the hospital, and thankfully there had not been an attack on Mungo's. But she couldn't help but worry for the worst sometimes, and picturing any of her dear ones in situations she couldn't control...while she'd devoted a lot of effort to becoming more okay with it in these last months of being with Roderick, learning more about the war through his eyes, it was still awfully unsettling.

But she was grateful to be here with Alice instead of comparatively alone at Rod's. With Frank off on a mission, and the pair of them having been together through the war, Alice understood the strain better than anyone. Mary found her sister in the kitchen, beaming as they wasted no time in closing each other in a hug, and despite her worries for their blokes, she laughed along with the other. "What, this old thing?" Mary gave a twirl, the skirt of her wintry dress swirling, and smiled as she used a charm to pop the cork out of the bottle of wine she'd brought. "Oh my, well - we're good," she declared, helping herself to a pair of wine glasses from a cabinet. "On his last day off I may have turned the flat into a replica of our first dinner date." Transforming the apartment into a restaurant utilized her creative Transfiguration and Charms skills, but she did wonder when her husband's "roommate" - for Bilius did often drop by - would declare him sick of her messing with the place. But could he blame her, really? Roderick had precious few days off in a week, and she wasn't going to force him to go out and about when he'd just been saving lives. Finding fun things to do either at theirs was something Mary was enjoying, and Rod always seemed appreciative of the efforts. "What's new with you? And don't play the old we're married line," she teased, joining her at the table with their wine. 

[Alice Longbottom]

Her life with Frank was good, here in this house he’d asked her to move into him with after graduation. It hadn’t been easy, going through accelerated Auror training, working for the Order, and trying to maintain a relationship outside of it all. If they hadn’t lived together, Alice wasn’t sure their relationship would have survived. This war was taking its toll on them both, but it wasn’t going to tear them apart. Frank was one of the only good parts of these days, and he still made her stomach do flips whenever he smiled at her. It was a kind of love she couldn’t live without, and something that she was glad Mary had found. She knew her sister well enough to know what Mary wanted out of life, and a head over heels together forever love was certainly one of the things they’d both always wanted. 

Alice sat down as Mary went about opening the wine and getting glasses, eyes glancing to the timer on the oven where dinner was cooking. They still had a couple of minutes before food would be done, but that gave them plenty of time to talk. While normally she wasn’t the type to play matchmaker, she'd convinced her sister to go on a date earlier this year with Fabian Prewett. She did feel a little guilty about getting Fabian involved in her scheme to get Mary and Roderick back together, but it had worked out. Alice couldn’t help but smile as Mary talked about her last date with the Healer, glad to hear how well things were. “That sounds wonderful, I’m glad things are going well for you two. Bill is a good sport, although I'm sure he's used to it” she replied, taking the offered wine glass.

Leaning back in her chair, she took a sip of the wine before continuing, “Oh shush, you’ll get married one day and you’ll not have anything fun to update me on,” She was teasing of course, there was always something to update her sister on. While most of her life was routine these days, there were the least tidbits of new things that happened. “I had an appointment with Mungo’s today, actually - that’s probably the owl now,” she laughed as she noticed the owl in the window. Setting her glass on the table, she went and retrieved the letter, and gave the owl a treat from the container on the window sill. Her attention was drawn to the beeping of the timer, and she dropped the letter down in front of Mary as she made her way back over. “Whatever’s in that letter is the only new thing I’ve been up to,” Alice stated, grabbing her wand from the counter to finish the last bits of cooking.

[Mary Macdonald]

While Mary knew that her sister didn't mean anything by it, she couldn't help but roll her eyes as Alice mentioned Bill being accustomed to Roderick having girls around. They'd had a talk about exes fairly early on in their relationship, but when you had so much history with someone else, when they'd seen you through so many changes and stages in life, like she and Rod had...she couldn't quite worry over anyone who had passed between them. So it was with a chuckle that she continued. "Yeah, I suppose he's got to be - just want to make sure he and I get on, you know? Family's...everything."

She settled in with a small smile, wasting no time in indulging in the wine. Mary didn't conceal a roll of the eyes at her sister's insistence, though. "The way you talk about it, you've got the most boring job in the world," she laughed as Alice greeted the delivery owl. "Mungo's, though?" Mary asked belatedly, worry building in her gut at mention of the hospital. Not that she'd been there often, but you didn't have to frequent the place to get the heebie-jeebies about your loved ones going there. "Routine, I hope, you would've told me otherwise, right?" Alice left her with the letter and Mary opened it after the tiniest hesitation, scanning the official parchment until she began to beam.

"Oh my word. Alice. Alice!" Her voice grew in both strength and excitement with each passing syllable, and she rose to distract Alice from cooking by pulling her into another hug, tears catching in the corners of her eyes. In a time, in a place, where good news couldn't come often enough... "Did you know? Did you have any idea?"

[Alice Longbottom]

Family was everything, that was something Alice knew. Mary knew it better than most, given what had happened to her parents when they were both so young. Her parents had tried to fill the hole that had been left when her Uncle Neil and Aunt Audra had died, but it was impossible to fill a hole in someone’s heart like that. And while her parents weren’t gone for good, it felt like it with them being so far away. Perhaps if she hadn’t gotten so involved in the war right after school, there would still be a place for them both to call home in Yorkshire. The past was the past though, and there was no changing it. At the very least, the two of them still had each other and that was what mattered. They were making their own family, with Frank and the girls Mary lived with in Hogsmeade. There was Danick, so close to Mary after they lived together, and in the future - hopefully sooner rather than later - Roderick would join the little family that they had formed. At the very least, Alice did hope he would. “Bill adores you, I’m sure of it. Don’t worry Mary Mac,” Alice said with a sad smile to her sister.

Conversation and wine flowed, and Alice was soon rolling her eyes. “My job isn’t fun to talk about, I’d much rather hear about the new young love you’ve been seeing at Puddifoots,” she laughed, the owl from Mungo’s seemingly content to hang out in her window. “I’ve just been under the weather, I promise.” There was no need for Mary to worry about the cold Alice had gotten, unless she was worried about catching it herself. It was only moments later that Mary’s tone changed, and she found herself being pulled from cooking into a hug. “Did I know what?” she asked with a laugh, giving Mary a squeeze before, “I’m guessing it’s not bad news if you’re this happy about it!” Extracting herself from her sister’s grasp with a grin, she picked up the parchment from the table.

“Oh merlin, I’m...I’m pregnant?” she spun around, looking at her sister in shock. Sure the thought had crossed her mind, and she’d always figured she and Frank would have kids. “I can’t believe this...I mean obviously, I can believe it, haven’t been as careful as we could have,” the words tumbled out, nervous laughter following them. “Oh Mary, I can’t be pregnant. My job- this war- it’s just, oh this is too much.”

[Mary Macdonald]

She returned her sister's smile, hoping that Alice was right. Alice knew the Bones well than she did, and why should she spend time worrying on unfounded anxieties? Rod would tell you if there's an issue. But she was grateful for the turn of conversation, giving Alice a laugh after a drink. "Oh yes, I know you've been dying to hear of the progression of Dedalus and Gladys' romance," she teased. "It's sludging along, I think I convinced him to ask her to come to the shop before the holidays. Honestly, if he doesn't, I'll just pull them in during January's trip, they're wasting so much time beating around the bush. We were never like that, were we?" The remark was mostly rhetorical, their love lives lived things of the past. 

You'd better just have a cold, Mary thought as she opened the letter. Alice wouldn't give her access if she had anything to worry about! And to find out the most exciting news in the world? Before Frank? Before Alice? Mary was quick to her feet to hug her sister, words bubbling out of her without much comprehension or help towards the contents of the message. Mary let her go reluctantly, watching with apprehension as Alice returned to her after reading the letter.

The tears in Mary's eyes were persistent, but they were happy ones. That is, until Alice started to worry. Oh for f*ck's sake, don't cry, you're not the one carrying a child...into a war-torn world...get a hold of yourself, Mary. She gave herself a stern little talking to in the quiet that followed her sister's words, nodding along at the sense of them all, and wiped her eyes. "Fair," Mary said simply, moving to lean her back against the counter next to the other woman, firmly taking Alice's hand in hers. "But all the same...Alice, this has been your dream. Before you trained, before you were a soldier, before you even met Frank. Most of what I remember of my childhood is playing house in your room," she said with a watery chuckle. "And you were always the mum. I was fine with it, loved being taken care of by you. Still do." Giving the hand she held a squeeze, Mary looked up at her affectionately. "You've wanted this nearly your whole life. Don't let the circumstance taint it, please."

[Alice Longbottom]

“Of course I’ve been dying to hear it,” she said with a laugh, nodding along as Mary filled her in on the latest details. Dedalus and Gladys simply just needed to accept that there was chemistry between them, and give it a chance! Alice wanted to believe that her and Mary had never been so silly when it came to giving love a chance, she had also been the one to accidentally confess her love to Frank by talking to his horse - so perhaps she wasn’t as far off from needing help as Dedalus and Gladys were. But things had worked out for her and Frank, and so Alice believed that the two young students could figure it out.

But her mind was soon far from young love, and into a place of panic. She knew this was exciting news, or at least that it should be. Pregnant with her first child, while married to the love of her life? This was supposed to be one of the most exciting moments of her life, and yet she had so much doubt. Their world was at war, and she was right in the middle of it. An Auror for the Ministry, an agent for the Order. Her entire life revolved around fighting in this war and ending it, and that was not the kind of place where a child could be safe. Her mind was spiraling, and Alice was thankful for Mary, her sister forcing her to focus. Mary was right, this had been her dream. She always loved taking care of her dolls, and taking care of Mary. And then she’d started taking care of all the younger kids that she could look out for in school. She wanted to be a mum.

She sighed, letting a laugh escape her, giving Mary’s hand a squeeze. “You’re right, of course,” she said with a smile, using her free hand to wipe her eyes. “Mary, I’m pregnant. I’m going to be a mum.” That was a good thing, even if the timing couldn’t be worse. She had to remember that. And being pregnant did explain all the symptoms that she had been experiencing recently, so it was reassuring to know there was nothing wrong like she had thought. “Oh, and now I have to tell Frank. How am I supposed to tell him about this? It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you should just drop in casual conversation.”

[Mary Macdonald]

Oh but how she wanted this to be the most magical time of her sister's life! For Alice to find joy in growing her family, for her to have all the love and support she could need, for her to be as carefree as possible. She could imagine what worries Alice was having as she teared up, and wanted to hear of them, to console her, to assure - but everything would be alright. Taking a step back from the war for her and the baby's safety, while Mary knew it would be hard to swallow - selfishly, she was relieved. No more close calls, no more putting herself in the line of fire...She'd gotten better at stomaching her loved ones being at risk, no longer so paralyzed when faced with their realities, but if she knew Alice was safe...We could share this time, sweet pea, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Not that she was carrying a child herself, she was nowhere near ready for that, but - Alice would likely be involved in some capacity still, for the Order, for the Aurors, but she'd need a break from whatever behind-the-scenes work they had her do. Mary was going to demand to be on-call for everything from now on, whether she needed something sweet from the shop or a listening ear, she would be there. She was relieved as well when the color changed on Alice's face, no longer so pale with fear but lightly flushed with the thrill. She listened with a beaming smile as Alice continued to process, and let out a laugh as she spoke of telling Frank.

"You're right, tossing it in as you're making a shopping list would knock him flat," Mary quipped - brave heart and soldier that Frank Longbottom was, this sort of news took another kind of courage. One that she absolutely believed Alice's husband had, but it would be best to guide the brave - and tender - heart into the realization gently, wouldn't it? "Have you spoken much about having children? What's he said about it before?"

[Alice Longbottom]

Alice had thought of how exciting the news of a baby would be, more than once. She had looked forward to a positive result, and how she would tell Frank. Although not as much on the last part, because she truly hadn’t expected to have to give her husband this news anytime soon. And here she was, standing in their kitchen without any idea how she was going to drop some of the biggest news in the middle of a war. Her mind was racing with every negative thing that it could think of, and Merlin how she wished her mother was still living in England. This was the kind of thing she would want to share with her mum, and yet to keep everyone safe she hadn’t a clue where her mother was other than in America. But Mary, her sweet Mary, was right as she usually was. She could let their world taint this situation, or she could embrace it. It would be better for everyone for her to do the second.

“I mean, we’ve talked about it of course,” she said with a laugh, running a hand through her hair. “Didn’t think I’d need to tell him this sort of information so soon. Admittedly we weren’t as careful as we could have been, but this possibility was just so far from my mind.” Pulling out the chair at the table, she sank into the seat and pulled on her sleeves, her mind now thinking of ways to tell her husband he was going to be a father. A card? A party? And how was Augusta going to react to this news - oh that would be dreadful. Maury would be delighted, she knew that much, but it was so hard to read her mother-in-law. “I suppose I could just casually bring it up, but I feel like Frank deserves something more exciting than that.”

The oven chimed, and Alice stood to go and retrieve the food, “Have you and Roderick talked about kids? Not that I’m trying to rush the two of you into anything! Just thought perhaps you might have considered some ideas about how you would tell him if you were pregnant,” she said as she pulled the chicken from the oven, setting it on the counter to cool. “It would be fun if we were both pregnant at the same time, I secretly always hoped for that.”

[Mary Macdonald]

She started thinking of a few possibilities as Alice spoke, agreeing that something special would be sweet for Frank. These days they had too few occasions to celebrate, and this would be one to remember and retell forever. There was nothing simple about their situation, and Mary hoped there was someone at the Order who the couple could speak with soon. Alice's duties would be rearranged, wouldn't they? Being taken out of the physical fight would be a tough reality, but she could use her talents in other ways, surely, as she prepared to become a parent. They're going to be parents! "I know we've moved fast on a few things," Mary had to laugh, "but we're in no hurry for kids." 

She rose and started gathering plates and utensils to set the table, still chuckling. Within the last year and a half, she and Roddy had gotten back together, become engaged, moved in, and married - a quick timeline that she hadn't expected, but was far from complaining about. When they knew what they wanted, that they were both in forever, there had been no reason to wait. Life was too short to lose any more time being lost in wondering what could be, especially when the love of a good man had been waiting for her all this time. Mary was still getting used to her rings, calling Roddy her husband, the change in her name - but waking up with him, knowing that their home was theirs, that their future was theirs, it made every difficult moment worth it, and she could look back with kinder eyes on the girl who had given him up when she hadn't been ready. Their timeline was their own, and there was no telling what would have been had they continued on together after he had graduated - but they had found each other when the time was right, when they were both ready, and she felt steadier for knowing they were stronger for it now.

"I like having him all to myself," she declared with just a touch of cheek, thinking of the stunning man she got to call husband, before turning a warm smile Alice's way. "But you're right, that would be just about the best possible thing that could happen. They'd get to grow up together, and I can't imagine anything more perfect than that. Maybe we try that for your second, hmm?" While what had put them in the situation was not, growing up alongside Alice was a blessing. It always struck her as a missed opportunity, seeing cousins who didn't enjoy each other, and she knew that that would never happen with their own families. "I've imagined what it'd be like, and if I had a hunch - I'd want him with me, when we found out, if I could. Fatherhood will be so good for Roddy, he's going to be ready when it happens, however I'm feeling," she acknowledged as she finished laying the table. She had no doubts about wanting a family with him, absolutely not - but it would be no small change, and they were still so young, and the war was still on, and she hoped to break from Puddifoot's with her own shop... It was all too easy to imagine getting in her head, letting fear get the better of her in the moment. But life was better with Roddy at her side. She would never be alone in that journey, especially if she and Alice got to be on it together, and when the war was done, surely her fears would become more manageable.

Taking Alice's hand, she danced them to the front door. Dinner wouldn't get cold if they visualized for just a few moments, would it? "So Frank walks in - tomorrow? - and you meet him in the entry, everything's normal," she said, voice dropping as she slowly walked them through the arch to the next room, "but when you get into here - it's lit just by candlelight, your first dance is on the record player, and there's, there's - " Mary snapped her fingers, digging through her files. Of all the necessary knowledge at the tea shop best known for love, flowers were important. And while there was already a collection of greenery in the room, it was missing... " - orchids, there are orchids all around, they're a symbol for children, he would know. His eyes grow wide, he starts crying - tissues, add tissues to the list - and viola. A first draft, open for any and all revisions," she laughed, arm slipping around her sister's waist, head leaning over onto her shoulder as she thought. "He loves you as much as I do, Alice. However you do it, keeping it simple or putting on a whole affair, what he'll remember most is you."