An: based on the Frank Sinatra song They can't take that away from me. Hope you enjoy.
No They Can't Take That Away From Me
James was leaning against a wall in a corner, hidden from the sight of most people. In actual fact, he was skulking, not something he did often. He wasn't a natural born skulker; he was much better in the limelight, in the centre of attention. As an ex-seeker he understood how to respond to the pressure of being watched by several people. What he was not used to, however, was avoiding people's attention.
He was hiding, so that he didn't have to talk about his relationship. As soon as Sirius saw him, he'd want to know what was going on. Why James and Lily were having stupid arguments. Why when they went out Lily preferred to dance with Remus. Why they seemed to barely speak anymore. The truth was Lily Evans and James Potter's relationship was on the rocks, on the skids, on the outs. It was hard in the real world, nothing like being at Hogwarts. She was working late; he had to be at work early. He hated her family; she resented spending so much time at his parents' house. She wanted to go out and party, but he wanted to stay in and watch films.
He sighed, catching a glimpse of her. She was talking with some wizard from the ministry. It wasn't a surprise; they were at a ministry party. He smiled wanly as he saw her mess with the hat that she'd insisted on wearing. She said it gave her outfit an edge. What kind of edge he wasn't sure, but he loved that she wore it at an angle. It made her stand out. Made her different, vibrant.
She'd been explaining this to him, with a mug of tea in her hand earlier. She'd been in the middle of a sentence when she took a sip and burnt her mouth, a swear word slipping out. She'd looked so guilty that he'd had to kiss her, though he reminded her to put a sickle in the swear box. She'd frowned, then, after setting the mug down, tackled him, tickling him until he begged her to stop. He smiled sincerely at the memory. It wasn't something he'd forget in a while; they'd had so few laughs recently.
He watched her, her face animated in conversation. She laughed, and he was caught off guard by the suddenness of it. He adored her smile. It made him think of sunshine and autumn leaves and Quidditch. He laughed suddenly, remembering the smile she'd shot his way when he'd told her she was an awful singer. She was always singing when she was at home. Old songs, Muggle songs, hymns, she didn't mind. As long as it had a tune, she was happy. The only problem was that she couldn't sing in that tune. He'd told her how bad she was and she'd sung all the louder.
He wished he knew how to sort out their problems. How to make it all better. How to make her realise how much he loved her still. He'd started dreaming about it. About their future. About the three kids they'd have (two boys and a girl). About the house they'd move into (One with a huge garden out back). About how they'd grow old together. He didn't want to lose her, didn't want to lose that future, but he had no idea how to even begin to work through their issues.
If they spilt up, he might never see her again. It wasn't like they worked in the same place, and if they split up one of them would have to move out. He'd get Sirius and Peter, she'd get Remus. They would, literally, never see each other again. He frowned. That hurt. The thought of never seeing her again (much less Remus) physically hurt him. It didn't matter how many memories he had. Not even how she always dropped her knife if she was eating and lying at the same time. Not even of the party that lasted until three, four in the morning and all they'd done was sway in each other's arms. Those memories would never make up for not having her in his life.
Without even thinking about it, he left his corner and walked up to his girlfriend. "Can I cut in?" he said quietly to the ministry wizard. "Thanks."
"James. Where did you get to?" She wasn't quite teasing, her voice was almost frosty.
"I love you," he said gently. "Honest to god I do. You've changed my life, and I can't face not seeing you ever again if we split up."
Her face softened. "Oh you fool. We'll be fine. It's just…rough at the moment." She hugged him, and in that moment, he knew they'd be okay. He knew that no one could ever take her away.
Fin.