Disclaimer: I own next to nothing.

Author's Note: I'm back. Didn't take that long, did it? I thought for sure that my chapter notes were going to take much longer to write up, but the ideas came easier than I expected, so, I figured I'd start the sequel ahead of schedule. That's not a problem is it? Hope not.
Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for all the reviews and faves and alerts my last story got. Let's hope this one is just as successful as the first.
Right. On to the first chapter of I Need You. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: A year of changes.

A year had passed, and a year's worth of things had changed. People were still living their lives, trying their best to live them the same way they had done before, but things were different now. There was an air of fear that hung over most places, inspired by a new attack, or another death. Death Eaters, the name they had given themselves, were behind the attacks, but behind them was the source of the mayhem, the catastrophe; Lord Voldemort was the main source of the fear. He had built up an army, and he had made it clear that the Mudbloods of the wizarding world were no longer safe. As a matter of fact, even the purebloods that associated with muggleborns were in danger. Everyone was in danger.

"Did you hear about the attack on the Wilkensens?" Gregory Potter asked his wife over dinner, a steaming plate on the table in front of him.

"Please, dear," Priscilla replied, eyes darting between her husband and her son, who sat at her side. "Not at dinner."

He followed her eyes as they flickered back and forth and nodded. "Right, of course." And with that he dropped the subject and they resumed their eating in awkward silence.

"Dinner's great, mum." James said, steering towards a more pleasant conversation.

"It really is, Mrs. Potter." Lily agreed, sitting across from James. She smiled at the older woman in thanks.

"You're very kind." She said, eyes crinkling as she smiled.

James rose from the table with his empty place, and kissed the top of his mother's head as he passed her. He leaned over Lily and took her plate as well, dropping them lightly in the sink.

"Want to come for a walk?" James asked, grinning at Lily as he leaned back against the counter.

"Sure." Lily nodded, and she rose from her seat as well. "Thanks again for dinner."

"Anytime, Lily. You're welcome back whenever you'd like, you know that." Mr. Potter said, watching the two of them leave the kitchen.

Lily grabbed her coat off the rack in the hallway and shrugged into it, simultaneously slipping her feet into her sandals. James held the door open for her, and together they stepped outside. He took her hand tightly in his the second they stepped off his lawn.

The sun was just setting, so the sky was still bright. The blue of it had gone people, though, mixing with the reddish hues of the sun. The residents of the neighbourhood were already in their homes, finishing their dinners just as James and Lily had done, or else getting ready to snuggle into bed after another long day.

"Your dad's worried." Lily sighed as they walked down the street.

James squeezed her hand. "Isn't everyone?" he said.

"They have a right to be." Lily agreed. "There's another attack everyday."

James sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. "Let's talk about something else, okay? Something that's not so…gloomy."

Lily smiled up at him. "Okay, then." She said, swinging their hands back and forth. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Hmm," James grinned. "We could talk about how pretty you look today. And every other day." He watched as Lily rolled her eyes. "It's true!" he added with a laugh.

"That's your opinion."

"Yes, it is. And it's true." He repeated. He pulled on her hand so that she was against his side, and he kissed the side of her head.

A year had passed, and that simple action alone made his heart swell, his stomach turn over. Just the fact that he could do it whenever he liked, kiss her and hold her whenever he pleased, it made him feel happier than he had ever felt.

"Something else." Lily said, shoving him lightly with her hip.

"Something else…" James said, thinking. "Well, we have work tomorrow."
Lily groaned.

"Oh, it's not that bad…" he said.

"Easy for you to say. You're passing every test with flying colours." She sighed.

"Flying colours?" James quirked an eyebrow at the unfamiliar expression.

"Easily. You're passing easily."

"Oh," he said, nodding. "Well, maybe, but you're doing just fine, too."

"Just fine, though. I'm not great."

"You are great. You'll pass them with flying colours, too." He told her, smiling as his use of her saying. "They'd be stupid not to pass you. You'd make a great auror."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He paused, then added, "Are you apparating home tonight?"

Lily nodded. "Yep." She glanced at her watch. "And I should be leaving soon."

James shook his head. "No way. It feels like you just got here."

Lily laughed.

He happened to look away from her – something he didn't do very often, or for very long – and he spotted a playground across the road. He grinned and dragged her off towards it.

"What on earth are you doing, you madman?" Lily giggled.

"Come and swing with me." He replied.

"What, are you four years old?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am," he said, letting go of her hand and hopping onto one of the swings. He began to kick his feet, began to move. "Four plus fourteen." He smiled, going higher and higher.

Lily walked around him to the swing at his side and sat down on it. Within moments, she was flying alongside him, going back when he swung forward, forward when he swung back.

"See," he laughed. "This was a good idea."

"Alright, Mr. Potter." Lily laughed too. "I'll give you that. It was a good idea."

"Thank you, Miss Evans." He said, and he leapt off his swing as it swung forward. He flew more than he fell, but when he landed, he collapsed onto the grass, staring up at the sky.

Lily dragged her feet in the sand under the swings and came to a stop. She got off the swing and joined him, lying on the ground next to him. He instantly rolled over, draping one arm over her middle with his head turned towards her. She was staring up at the sky, which had turned dark blue sometime during their walk, where stars glittered in clusters.

Lying there, he could make out all the details of her face. The way her pretty eyelashes brushed against her cheeks when she looked down, and against the spot just under her eyebrows when she looked up. He noticed, again, the light freckles on her cheeks and on the end of her nose, and how they made her look younger than eighteen. Younger, but not by much.

He was so focused on every little detail of her, that he didn't notice at first when she turned her head to look at him.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, biting her lip.

"You." He replied unblushingly, smiling at her.

She smiled shyly and looked back up at the sky. "Did you make a wish?" she asked, glancing at him for a second.

"No. Should I have made one?" he asked, quirking a curious eyebrow at her.

"Yes, you should have." She said, and she giggled. "On the stars, silly."

"Oh, right." He looked up with her, but then his eyes narrowed. "I don't want what to wish for." He said after a moment.

"Well," Lily said, rolling so that she was facing him. "What do you want? Wish for what you want most in the entire world."

James thought for a moment, his eyes locked on hers. "What if I've already got what I want most in the entire world?" he asked.

Lily laughed. "Then I don't know." She said. A content silence crept up on them for a few minutes, but Lily broke it after a while. "What is it?" she asked, then clarified. "The thing you want most, and already have? What is it?"

James propped himself up on his elbow, and adjusted his glasses that were sliding down his nose. "It's not really an 'it', it's more of a 'who'." He told her.

"Oh?" she said, smiling now. "Who is it, then?"

He leaned closer to her, face nearing hers. He took another moment to admire how perfect she looked, before he closed the little space between them and kissed her, softly, like he was kissing an angel.

"I'll give you one guess." He told her when he pulled away.

"Hmm," Lily smiled. "And what happens if I guess it wrong?"

She watched him laugh, thinking that that was one of her favourite things in the world: seeing him laugh, or even smile. Just the crookedness of his grin, or the way his eyes glittering behind his glasses when he laughed made her feel warm.

"I'm not sure," he said. "But I don't think you'll get it wrong. Rumour has it you're pretty smart."

"I like to think so."
"Then guess." He told her, shrugged.

Lily pretended to think, wrinkling her nose in mock confusion. "I don't know."

"Do I have to give you another hint?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I think I'd like that."

More than happy to oblige, he leaned forward and kissed her again, the hand that wasn't supporting his head resting gently on the back of her neck, yet still holding her tightly.

"I think I have an answer." She said, her breath tickling his face.

"And?"

"Me." She smiled.

James laughed. "Wow, I guess the rumours are right. You are smart!"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He lightly kissed the end of her nose.

Lily glanced down at the watch that glittered on her wrist.

"You have to go." James guessed, making a face.

"I have to go." Lily echoed sadly.

James sighed and got to his feet. He reached both his hands down to help Lily to her feet, and watched as she dusted sand and grass off herself.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" James asked.

"We have work, remember?" Lily smiled. "Yes, you'll see me tomorrow."

"Good." James grinned. "Goodnight Lily Billy. I love you."

Lily stretched up on her toes and kissed him once. "I love you too."

She stepped away from him and smiled, then with a loud crack, she was gone.

--

As quietly as she could, Lily turned the handle of her front door and crept inside her home. She hung up her coat, kicked off her sandals and began to creep stealthily towards the staircase.

"Lily?"

She turned, surprised, at the sound of her name. She spotted her father in the armchair of their sitting room. He looked as though he had been asleep in it just moments ago.

"Hey, dad." She smiled. "I didn't mean to wake you. Sorry."

"No, no," he said, smiling back and getting slowly to his feet with a groan. "Nothing to worry about. It's a good thing you did. Sleeping in that chair, well, my back would have been awful tomorrow morning."

Lily nodded.

"Did you have a nice night?" Mr. Evans asked, putting his arm around Lily's shoulders as they walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah, I did." She grinned.

"I'm glad to hear it." He said as they reached the top of the stairs, and were about to go their separate ways.

Lily kissed her father's creased cheek. "Goodnight, dad." She said.

"Bon soir, ma fleur." He replied, and he disappeared into his and his wife's bedroom.

Lily stepped into her own, quickly slipped into a too-big tee-shirt and climbed into beg, burying herself under her quilt. She turned to one side and closed her eyes, slipping into dreams about shooting stars and hazel eyes.

Author's Note: So, there we have it. The first chapter of my new story. Hope you liked it.
Read, and review; let me know what you think.

With love, Cait.