A/N: My first short of HP. JKRowling owns. I have no right to these characters. This was written a while back for a friend, and now I finally realized maybe I should post it.
"What is this?" He knew what this was. But somehow it still had caught him off guard.
"Hello, Severus," a rich, gentle voice took him by surprise.
Lily.
"But you're..." he stammered at the figure slowly taking shape amid the nearly unbearable sea of white light.
"And so are you." She smiled, making his heart stop. Well, it would have made his heart stop if it hadn't already been still.
"But are you real?" He cast with searching, incredulous eyes.
"As real as you are now," her hand passed over his arm. He could feel her.
"But why you?" He continued to gawk, still unable to believe it was her.
"I've been watching over you and my son for a long time," her eyes shone softly into his.
"I'm sorry." He cast his face brusquely away.
"Sorry for what?" Her voice piqued, twisting something inside of him so that he had to look up again.
"Too many things now," he muttered as his eyes tried to dart from the sight of her.
"I saw how much you truly loved me. I watched you grieve for your mistakes and vow to protect the one living person that I loved. I saw every sacrifice you made. I saw your last moment and everything my son witnessed in that pensieve. I'm sorry your journey was so hard. But I was with you. And now I'm here."
Snape was speechless. For all those years her memory had haunted him, he had never imagined this.
"So...you forgive me?" He asked tentatively.
She got closer to him. Put her hands on his collar, stood on tip toe and placed a feather light kiss on his brow.
"A long time ago," her bright eyes were perfectly level with his and her hands balanced a part of her weight on his shoulders.
Suddenly Snape twitched-what about James? Surely he was somewhere nearby as well.
"You can come with me now. The struggle is over, a new journey begins."
"What do you mean, come with you? Where are we going, and aren't you with...?"
"I can't explain it until you see it. You don't have to come with me. You can go back as a ghost and watch the living again."
"Yes, but what about James?" He pinched his nose, embarrassed that he'd asked after all these years.
"Things are different here," she tenderly took his hand, overwhelming him with her presence, "I shared my living life with James. But, I am allowed to share this one with you." Suddenly she grew shy, "If you wish it..."
"That's what you want?"
"Severus, we all saw what you did. James understands. Watching you fight for so long, I...realized how much I..." She hesitated.
Blinking, the truth started to sink in. With great trepidation, he allowed himself to reach for her, pulling her into him, he drank silently the expression on her face-tenderness, timidity, hope...longing? Slowly he returned her earlier gesture, placing his lips lightly on her forehead.
Her whisper cut sweetly into his neck, "So, will you come with me this time?"
He knew he would follow her into the great unknown.
Wordless, he nodded. Taking hands they began walking until only bright light remained.