My latest story, called 'Forever', is dedicated to ProngsxLilyFlower, the I Hate Ducks Club, and states that are very hard to spell. Thank you so much for helping edit this while Kristen joins the circus and runs--I mean, um, goes on vacation, yeah!

-Danyelllllll (haha. I'm listening to Simple Plan again)

Summary: Forever shouldn't be like this.Forever shouldn't end one year after marriage. Forever is a fairy tale. Forever is sacred. They have the story all wrong. This isn't how it goes. LJ

Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter! I OWN HARRY POTTER! Look, see! (flashes piece of paper) Oh, darn, it's just another useless golden ticket...

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Forever.

Forever is when you can no longer mount your broomstick because of bad joints. Forever is when you drift to sleep at night knowing for certain that it is going to rain tomorrow, because you can feel it in your bones. Forever is gray hair, wrinkles, slow movements. Forever is lying curled up next to your wife and stroking her hair, and that being enough. At least that's what forever meant to James, anyway.

To Lily, forever is a cup of hot tea instead of hot cocoa, because her system can no longer handle the other. Forever is talking loudly, shouting, because her husband has awful hearing and refuses to wear aids. Forever is gray hair instead of red, laughter instead of arguments. Forever is a fairy tale.

Forever.

Forever is kindness passed down. Forever is fishing on Sunday mornings. Forever is a house full of roasted turkey, laughing children, four friends eternally united. Forever is the stuff of legends. James knew it wasn't just a white light and poof! you're in heaven. Forever is possible on Earth, and James knew he would find it.

Lily knew forever existed on Earth, too. Cinderella. Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel, for goodness sake! People wouldn't write beautiful, lovely stories about thin air, about something unattainable. Forever is all that is dear bottled up in one stream of happy memories. Forever is love that can make the dreariest days sunny. Forever is what all spend their lives searching for. Lily is content to let forever come to her.

Forever shouldn't be like this.

Forever shouldn't end one year after marriage.

Forever shouldn't be fresh with memories of dancing in the Astronomy Tower at night to music only you could hear, and she would stand on your toes and let you lead. Forever shouldn't taste of long kisses, of sweat and grass, of firewhisky smuggled into your dorm. Forever shouldn't resound with midnight murmurs, of bellows of "GET OUT!" of snickering of "Looks like Prongsises got a snogfest!" Forever shouldn't smell like cold wind in your face as she tightens her hands around your waist on your best friend's borrowed motorcycle.

Forever shouldn't be locked up, holed up, hidden.

He knew forever shouldn't be like that.

Forever shouldn't mean putting all your faith in one person. Forever shouldn't mean days in a house, unable to leave, to get fresh air, to so much as open a window. Forever should be able to go outside and chop firewood, to catch fireflies in a jar and hand them to your awed grandchildren. Forever is a fairy tale. Forever is sacred. This isn't right. This isn't the way the story, the tale as old as time, is supposed to go.

Forever shouldn't blast open the door. Forever shouldn't leave no time for one last kiss, one last goodbye, expect a glance to suffice.

Forever shouldn't end in a blast of green light.

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