Sometimes it was hard to imagine how much money was spent in wizarding London.  She was in need of some new weekend type clothes and going to a shop in Diagon was ludicrous for something that she intended to wear when she needed to get dirty.  Personal tailors and things were all well and good for an occasion, but for sitting around on Saturday – Muggle clothing were the way to go.  They were also more comfortable. 

She couldn’t imagine sitting around in some of the outfits people chose to wear, but then again, Akiva didn’t much enjoy sitting around at all.  She liked to be moving, or at the very least, lounging with someone else.  Lifting her arm, one of the bags slid further up her forearm and she sighed, the deep line from the heaviness of the bag on her soft flesh was quite an ugly mark.  If only things could be made easier with magic in this particularly situation.  Unfortunately, Muggles about made that quite impossible.

Stopping in front of a window, Akiva couldn’t help but smile.  She was as typical a woman as any there ever was and faced with the tiny clothes and trappings for children, she just had to stop for a moment and look.  The window display was a very fine looking cradle with light yellow bedding, green embroidery decorating the seemingly plain surface.  It was all very nice, and a few onsies lay out near the display of nappies and a pram: too cute.  Sighing softly, she glanced upward at some of the people milling about the shop and she squinted – thinking she might have recognized one of them.

Curiosity was one of her weaknesses in this case, and she pursed her lips, trying to get a better look.  Unfortunately the glare on the glass and the obstacles in the display blocked her view.  Looking about, she moved toward the door and decided she could go in.  After all, no one would recognize her if she did anyway.  She could have been looking for a gift for an expecting friend or something of the sort, after all: nothing strange about that in the least.

Slipping through the door, Akiva was immediately engulfed in supplies for small children.  She was curious and at the same time intimidated.  Perhaps it was because she was not attached to anyone at the moment, but the idea of having to come in here and shop for one’s self with so many things, it seemed overwhelming.  She wasn’t here to shop though, and cruising through the aisles, pretending to look at things, she was just looking for who she thought to be Susan. 

Upon closer inspection, Akiva was sure it was her and restraining herself from squealing, she practically pranced up to her school friend and smiled.  “Susan!” she called out, “Susan Macmillan! How are you?!”

Susan had made plans for a filled day for herself, she was going to do a spot of shopping since they needed some groceries in the home and she needed to start looking at the prices of maternity wear. Susan believed in making a budget and Ernie felt a long the same lines. She wanted to find the cheapest price for the nicest wears when she got too big to fit her own. By her own calculations she had suspected she would be searching out light summer clothes and some fall wear. As told by her medi-witch she would be due by late October.

After a good breakfast and some words to Ernie she apparated to an alley in Muggle London. She shivered as she appeared in London always hating this particular form of travel but it was efficient, it was that dread in sixth year when she spliched herself in two. She always got stiff thinking about it. Thankfully Ernie built her confidence up in that area of magic, just as he had in other areas of her schoolwork. He was excellent had helping her.

Walking along the streets of muggle London, hoping not to be thought odd by her way of dress, but she felt like she was fitting in as she glanced at the others she passed. Her simple dress and sweater did not seem out of place. Her boots did not appear so either, but they were definitely more suited her work place then and weekend stroll, she had not really thought of it when she had slipped her feet into the shoes she wore most often. Her boots were not as caked with dirt as expected but they were durable for those purposes.

Her wandering feet took her past shops that she looked at; her goal was for the food and a bit of research on prices. As she had passed a store of baby things she paused. A smile crept upon her features as she looked through the window wanting nothing more then to know the gender of her child and be able to decided on the theme of the babies room, and start to pick out fine outfits for their child. Temptation got the better of her and she walked into the store with that smile still spread across her features. Susan’s hand moved over her abdomen as it often did when she thought about the child. The excitement was growing more so with each day for this baby, and the dread she felt about the timing was fading. Of course her fear of Ernie hating the child had yet to dissipate but she had not really spoken with him or anyone about her feelings.

Susan was drawn to the cribs at first, looking at them with delight and anticipation on her face. She would have to bring Ernie back here to help her pick out the one she wanted. Perhaps Hannah would come? Or even one of Ernie’s sisters? The clothing soon caught her attention and she gravitated towards the dresses. How delightful a little girl would look in this, perhaps her little girl?

A voice would draw her from her thoughts, one she knew but felt she had not heard in ages. “Akiva!” She said with a warm tone as she put the dress she held back on the rack. “I am fabulous, and you, how are you?” Susan moved closer and wrapped her arms around the old school friend. “What are you doing in here Akiva?” Was her dear school friend just as pregnant as she herself was?

Kiki was so glad to see Susan and have been right! It would have been horribly embarrassing had it not been, and then she would have had to apologize profusely to the person for having confused her with someone else, or just acted natural and moved along – whatever it would have been, the social awkwardness of it made her a little nervous.  Grinning, she didn’t have to deal with that, however, and Susan was most assuredly here, looking at baby dresses.

Enveloping her old school friend in a hug, she was so happy to hear she was doing well.  That was always nice to hear, especially when one had not been around another person for a long time.  They had kept in contact enough, but they hadn’t really seen one another with their schedules and lives moving in different directions.  Akiva’s work kept her in the library sometimes until later in the evening and Susan’s plants were her life, plus she was married, and Akiva imagined she wanted to spend time with her husband when she wasn’t working.

All of that kept the two apart and looking her over, Akiva was glad to see she looked well and sounded happy.  She wondered if she might be in the store for herself.  How exciting that would be!  She pulled away from her friend and glanced at the dresses, sighing softly at how beautiful some of the things were, and probably quite a bit cheaper than some of the wizarding pieces for small children. 

“I am excellent,” she responded quite honestly.  There was nothing she was really in want for, and her life was going as well as she could hope it to be going, excellent was a fitting adjective.  And shaking her head, she smiled at Susan, “I was shopping nearby,” she lifted her arm with the bags on it, “and stopped in front of the window – just to look, you know, and thought I saw you inside!”

“Well, I had to come and investigate – and thankfully, was right.”  It seemed a permanent smile had etched itself onto her cheery face, “What about you?  Are you…?” she asked, trying not to be too excited, just in case that wasn’t the case at all…

Just to feel the arms of Akiva around her was a comfort at the moment. Yes Susan was in a fantastic mood and life was great, but it was comforting just to be around a friend. She didn’t want to dwell too much on the pregnancy and the fact she was scared to be a mother, or that Ernie was probably worse of than she was. Susan liked to think that with a friend around she could think about other things, like their life and what they were up too. Of course being in a baby-clothing store was going to bring up questions.

“I am glad to hear you are doing well,” Susan said with enthusiasm. She had been ust as excited to hear that Frank was doing well. Akiva was someone she kept in contact with but it was through letters, which was just not the same as face-to-face conversation. “Oh so there is no little one on the way,” she laughed a little. “I am glad you came in to say hello.”

“What about you?  Are you…?”

Susan just smiled and nodded her head. “I am,” she said with that silly grin still on her face. She had been bursting to tell someone and now she could tell Akiva. Ernie knew and now she didn’t feel guilty in letting others in on the news.

Akiva couldn’t help but laugh at Susan, thinking there might have been one of her own on the way. “Oh, no!” she continued through laughter.  “There’s not even a man in the picture, let alone a baby,” she giggled softly, shaking her head at her friend.  She would have, at some point, enjoyed such a thing, but right now, she was just being a woman in London.  Sometimes one needed to take time for just that.  After George, this was the time to just be her and do what she had to do for everything else.

Of course, she had very little time to contemplate her own situation when Susan admitted that she was pregnant.  In the typical female fashion, Akiva squealed and clasped her hands over her mouth to keep from getting too loud.  One woman who looked as though she was ready to burst, two children trailing behind her, did not seem to want to deal with the girlish antics of the younger women.  Poor woman, thought Akiva for half a second before she was concentrated back on Susan. 

“Congratulations!” she embraced her friend again, shaking her a little in her excitement.  Akiva pulled back, her hands on her friend’s shoulders, examining her.  She did look a little more radiant than usual and at the same time, it was absolutely wonderful.  Akiva was glad that something so wonderful was happening for her friend and her husband.  “When did you find out?  Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” usually, when things like this came up, they wrote one another.  Heck, Akiva had written her a letter expressly to tell her about the cocker spaniel her parents had bought her; a baby was a little more pressing than a cocker spaniel! 

“When are you due?” she continued with the questions, so many things to ask!  “And will you find out about the sex before or do you and Ernie want to be surprised?”  She was going to ask how he felt about it, but she decided that the natural reaction would be happiness, to suggest anything else would be strange of her, and probably insensitive to Susan and she didn’t want to upset her friend.  "At least I don't need to ask what you were up to since the last time I saw you," the blonde laughed, "I think I could piece that together!"

Susan couldn’t hide the look of disappoint on her face that Akiva was not with anyone, but she knew it wasn’t really all that surprising as she was sure if there was a man in her life she would have heard in a letter. Susan felt like she should make a plan or sorts, and find this deserving woman a man. The only problem was the men she knew were her old housemates and setting up an old housemates just seemed strange to her. Justin and Akiva? That would be odd and not only for her but for Ernie. Susan laughed inwardly at Ernie’s reaction to the matter of wanting to contact Justin to set him up on a date.

“Well no matter, you will have a man and baby one day I am sure.” It was barely out of her mouth though when the inevitable squeal was heard and the body language of excitement was all over Akiva. This was why you didn’t tell a friend about a baby in a letter. That was why Susan had the full intention of sending Akiva a letter to go for lunch on a day when she had a moments piece to breath and think. Today apparently was the day as set out by destiny and Susan was not going to complain.

“Thank you,” she said softly with that beaming smile still all over her lips. No way was that smile going to fade any time soon now that Akiva was around and knew the news. Of course the questions started, the ones she had just barely started to contemplate herself. The sex of the baby? Did Susan even want to know?

“I am due near the end of October, so it is still early days. We don’t know the gender yet, but I think I want to know and I am sure Ernie would go along. I just want to make sure things are just right before the baby comes. Of course having one of natures last surprises in life would be nice too.” Susan really had to think on whether she wanted to know or not.

A warm laugh let her and even shook her body a bit. “Yes I am sure you can piece to together.” Susan brushed some hair from her face as she awkwardly laughed and almost blushed. Sex was not a topic she generally talked about, even now. “It wasn’t planned, somewhat of an accident I guess you could say. A good accident but definitely not planned. I don’t mind though.” Susan smiled sheepishly embarrassed for talking about such things like her sex life and she wasn’t even going into detail.

“Do you have time to go for lunch or tea?” They might as well take this rare opportunity to catch up.

Giggling softly, Akiva shook her head.  “No matter right now!” she responded with enthusiasm, it really didn’t bother her, truly.  She was happy and had a wonderful life.  She didn’t need to worry herself over things that didn’t much matter at the moment.  It especially didn’t matter when Susan’s life was so exciting.  Indeed, she was thrilled for her friend and the new way her life was going.

That was such a big change, Akiva thought, and was happy for them.  She had watched several of her friends go through the pregnancy situation and then welcome children into their lives, and through all the complaining about how badly feet hurt and backs hurt and discomfort, no one ever seemed to find it to be a task that did not live up to the end result.  She could only imagine Susan and Ernie would feel the same way at the end of it. 

The beam on Susan’s face told Akiva that she was already very excited.  Perhaps there was a hint of nervousness too, but from watching others, Akiva realized that was completely normal.  Of course, the woman with two children and one on the way probably would have told her there was nothing to worry about, except maybe the actual child, but she was smart enough to stay away from the ecstatic girls.

“If you don’t have to make the decision now, then by all means, wait.  I, personally, think the surprise would be nice.  But, I can see wanting to know as well.  It would make shopping a lot easier,” she laughed, picking up one of the dresses from the rack.  It was lacy and white, probably for a special occasion where it could get ruined and then never be used again, she thought.  It looked far too nice to be something for everyday occasions. 

She put the garment away as Susan got all blushy and awkward.  Akiva giggled, again, as that seemed to be the most logical thing to do when one was catching up with an old friend, and smiled. “Oh, those are how the best things come along: completely by surprise.  Who wants to have everything planned down to the detail?” she asked with a grin.  It was true, who wanted every detail planned?  Sometimes some surprises needed to just happen.  This was a good example.

Nodding eagerly, Akiva was ready to accept that offer.  “Of course I have time!  We’ve got to catch up now,” she stressed how absolutely important this must have seemed and hooked her arm through her friend’s elbow in an effort to take her along, “there’s a good lunch place down the road,” she added, “My dad and I go there a lot, excellent sandwiches and chips,” something about sandwiches and chips recently.  “And you can fill me in on everything.”