The band was in full swing when the Marauders showed up to the beachfront party. They split up and began dancing with anyone in sight.

Sirius was dancing with a blonde girl in a bikini top and cutoffs named Trinity. Her long legs didn't seem to end and Sirius seemed to be enjoying this little trait. Remus had his arm around a cute little brunette with red highlights in a tied up plaidshirt,
old, worn jeans, and boots named Jasmine. Peter was snogging a petite girl with raven black hair. Her name was Kenzie. She was wearing an old tank top with some muggle college logo on the front. James was dancing with a short redhead in shortcutoffs
and a strapless bikini top. Her name was Lily.

James and Lily danced for a few songs before going to get drinks from the bar.

"So," James began, handing Lily a drink, "how'd you end up at this beach?"

Lily laughed at James' lame attempt to get to know her before answering. "My best friend, a few girl friends, and I started a band a few months ago and we got a gig playing here because my friend Trinity, the one over there," Lily pointed to the blonde
dancingwith Sirius. "She knows the owner of the bar over there," she said pointing in the direction of the bar up the road. "So long story short, he now gets us small gigs all over the beach for the summer."

James was impressed that the redhead was in a band. "What do you do in the band?" He asked her.

"I'm the lead guitarist and singer," she responded, taking a sip of her drink. "Well, there are songs that we rotate on, but I'm the main singer," Lily corrected.

Same here," James exclaimed. Lily raised one eyebrow at him over her drink. James laughed and began to explain himself. "I'm the lead guitarist and singer in the band The Marauders, that's actually why we're here, my friends and I are scoping this placeoutfor
a gig we have next week."

"Oh really," Lily said, interested. "Who are your band mates?"

James pointed out Remus, Peter, and Sirius.

"No way," Lily suddenly exclaimed, dropping her glass in her excitement, "the girl your friend, Peter was it, is snogging, she's our bassist. That bloke, Remus, he's chatting up our drummer. Your Sirius is grinding up against our other singer."

"No way," James said, matching her excitement. "Peter, aka Wormtail, is our bassist, Remus, aka, Moony is our backup guitarist, and Sirius, aka Padfoot, is our drummer."

"Nice nicknames," Lily said with a smirk, "what's your's?"

"Prongs."

"Nice, hey we should blend our bands together some time," Lily suggested.

James grinned at her, falling in love with her enthusiasm and drive. "I'd love to do that," he said.

"It's a deal then," Lily said, sticking her hand out in a professional way.

"That it is," James agreed shaking her hand before leading her out to the dance floor. "Hey what's your band's name?" James asked as his hands found the small of Lily's back.

"Muggle Girl," Lily replied, snaking a hand under the back of James' shirt.

The next day James woke up with a pounding headache in a hotel room on the beach. He groaned and rolled over, trying to escape the burning sunlight coming in from the window. After a minute the sound of a shower running registered in his brain and heremembered
/that he wasn't sharing the room with any of his mates. Slowly James stood up and walked over to the small hotel bathroom. He noticed that he was wearing a pair of his boxers and an old quidditch tee shirt.

When he got to the bathroom he heard a woman humming. He ran a hand through his hair in confusion and he inched closer before he saw red hair and remembered what had happened last night.

He grinned and walked slowly back to his bed. Lying down on the bed he thought about the agreement that he had made with the young woman in the shower.

Damn, James, he thought happily to himself as he listened to Lily humming some song he'd never heard, you scored a deal with the real Lily Evans.

She hates you, another voice told him, how are you two going to work together once she sobers up and figures out who you are?

You know I could use some support here, he pointed out to the voice in his head, Lily and I will get along fine, I just have to prove to her that Post Hogwarts James is a better person than 17 year old Hogwarts James.

Good luck with that. He thought to himself as the shower turned off and Lily walked out into the room with a towel wrapped around her.

"Hey sleepy head," she said with a smile at him.

"Hey," James said watching her watching him.

"You know I know who you are right," she said, watching the shock register on his face.

"You, you do?" He stuttered, not quite believing what she was saying.

"Yeah, I went to Hogwarts too and I think I would remember the prankster who kept asking me out for seven years. You also might have chosen a more creative name for your band than The Marauders, just sayin'," she said, turning to go back to the bathroom
toget dressed.

"Wait, why didn't you say anything last night?" James asked shocked.

"Because I didn't want to ruin what was going on and you were treating me like a person. Plus I didn't think it would make anything better or make any difference," Lily said, turning back to him, leaning her head on the wall. "Now can I please go get
dressed?Or do I need to prove to you that I know you're James Potter, classic Hogwarts prankster?"

James laughed lightly and nodded his head, "yeah, I don't want to know what you'd do to me if I didn't allow you to go get dressed Miss Evans."

"Thank you," Lily said with a slight nod, as she turned to go get dressed.

"Wait, Lily," James said. Lily turned around after a pause and a dramatic sigh.

"Yes James," she said with a tired voice.

"Did we, ya know?"

"No James, we didn't," Lily said with a slight smile and a shake of her head. "I haven't forgiven you quite that much yet for what you did at Hogwarts." With that she turned and left a blushing James sitting on the bed.