"Well good morning gorgeous," Severus drawled as the slender female form beside him shifted in the big double bed. She turned to smile at the handsome wizard before her but was suddenly taken aback. "Oh God…" her green eyes widened and she shot straight up in bed, nervously running her hand through her long red locks.

"Did you sleep well?" Severus asked innocently. He gently rubbed her arm with his hand as he sat up. He proceeded to wrap his strong arm around her slim waist.

"Did I…? What did we do?"

"You don't remember?" Severus raised an eyebrow and smirked as an expression of panic crossed the young witch's face. She scrambled through the tousled sheets, searching for her sweater, and fairly leaped out of the bed, quickly gathering her things.

"Obviously, you do." Severus sighed and stood up, getting out of the bed. "Lily…Lily please…let me get that for you."

"Severus, I shouldn't be here, I should never- we should never have… ugh." Lily accepted the pair of jeans that Severus had handed her. "I had hoped it was a dream."

"Lily, he doesn't need to know about this." Severus said calmly.

"That is not the point, he is my fiancé. He is the love of my life; I should not have betrayed him like this." Lily started for the door, but Severus gently stopped her, holding her arm. "Is he, Lily?"

Lily's gaze softened and she looked down at the ground. Severus tilted her chin up to kiss her tenderly, their lips brushing in gentle rhythm. He released her, leaving her with an expression of dazedness.

"Yes," Lily said. She drew closer to him, her large breasts pressed against his chest as his hands rested upon her hips. He felt so at peace and he wished deeply that he could keep her there, keep her with him, forever. The green eyes met the black as she whispered, "we can't do this anymore. It isn't…right."

Severus whispered in her ear. "What isn't right is you saying he is the love of your life and acting like you don't know thisis right."

"Sev, he is, we aren't." She hesitated and turned her face from him "I'm so sorry about this."

"If he is the love of your life, then I am the love of your eternity." Severus whispered.

The bold remark made Lily blush and she stood back. Severus smirked. Lily sat down on the bed feeling dreadful about what she had done, but also feeling pleased to hear what Severus had just said. Deep down she knew he was right and at this moment, all thoughts of her fiancé were eradicated from her foggy head. She took Severus' hands, pulling him onto her as she lay back down on the bed. "Eternally." She whispered.

…

Lily apparated into the parlor of what was soon to be hers and James' new home, well new home as a newly-wed couple. The two had been living together for the past three months while they began preparing the wedding. They had set the date for the 22nd of September and for the longest time; Lily thought she had been the most fortunate woman in the world. James had enchanted her with his wit, care-free personality and boyish grin. But now that she had "re-discovered" Severus Snape, she wasn't so sure.

This had all started about four weeks ago when Lily had visited Borgin and Burkes. It wasn't customary for her to go skulking down Nocturn Alley, but Flourish and Blotts didn't have a vast selection. Borgin and Burkes was not really a bookstore, but it had enough books to earn that title for those who didn't want to call it a black magic shop. She was curious to see what books they had on potions, a subject she had always accelerated in during her tenure at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had been one of the top students in her class, though she accepted this title with no small amount of guilt.

It was Severus who was truly the brilliant student, if it weren't for his experimenting in class and rather sallow attitude, Slughorn would've added him to the shelf as fast as he had recruited Lily into the Slug Club and then onto the shelf as well.

Lily walked over to the navy blue overstuffed couch and sat, tucking her legs under her as she leaned back against the pillow and looked out the window at the falling rain. It spattered against the window and she wondered what Severus was doing right at this moment.

How she wished she hadn't met him at that bookstore…

Now Severus didn't get out much. He didn't like to. And although he came out of his pocket-sized home at Spinner's End for the occasional meal or "bare necessity" shopping spree, it had been during the school year when he had gone to Borgin and Burkes and he was most likely obtaining a book or parchment for an upcoming lesson.

Lily did not expect to react the way she did when she had first laid eyes on him since their final year at Hogwarts. After all, they had not ended their relationship well, and although they had never had a romance, both he and Lily had shared feelings for one another though never acted upon it.

Lily smiled slightly as she recalled how handsome he looked- strong, tall, ebony-haired and surprisingly soft-eyed… Her stomach fluttered and excited shivers ran up and down her spine as she took a moment to observe the wizard who had once been her very close friend. She had not expected to feel so… drawn to him. After all, she was certain that she was in love with James Potter, wasn't she?

Instinct told her to avoid him, but despite this, Lily approached him. She could smell cedar and sandalwood as she neared him. . His back was turned to her at this point, and gently, Lily placed a soft, white hand on his night-cloaked shoulder.

At this, Severus turned and looked at the witch with an expression of annoyance- which was fading rapidly – and an expression of amazement.

"Lily?"

"Hi Severus," she studied the black eyes as they melted into her green ones…

Since that day, she and Severus had been contacting each other through the floo or by owl discreetly and had met up in bookstores and brews all around the area whenever they could. At first, it had just been a way to reacquaint. Lily did not want anything to do with his dark ways. In the bookstore, she had not been thinking about it this way, but now that she was not so surprised and overcome with odd familiarity of old times, she wanted only to tell him that she was sorry for her actions and to wish him well.

To her chagrin, it did not end there. They rapidly reconnected as friends and before she knew it, she had… done what she just had: made love with him.

Lily closed her eyes, she was a horrible fiancée. She was supposed to be committed to James! And this was not a good way to start off what was supposed to be a lifelong marriage. However, it was just not working out. Not like she had expected it to. She and James had always been… comfortable. Never madly, passionately in love, but more cozy-like. When he had proposed, Lily accepted immediately, but rather than feeling elated, she had felt more sullen, regretful almost.

She knew she had made a mistake the instant the ring was placed on her finger. And it wasn't as if James was around much, he had tried to integrate her into his life, his friends, etc. But she was already integrated in most of that and although she had developed many relationships and was now formally a member of the order, she wondered if this was it for her. She wouldn't work, or travel or live her own life; she would be incorporated into James' life.

With Severus, it was different. He respected the fact that she had always wanted to teach and that she wanted to do things, go places, and learn more. Not hard to do if you're a brilliant witch, but Lily had always felt tied down.

Maybe that was why she had gone to Severus last night. It was definitely one of the reasons. She knew, she just knew that as she lay underneath him and felt his body against and within hers, that she was very unhappy and that she could do more for herself. Perhaps Severus was right, perhaps he was the love of her eternity and maybe James was just… a love.

Love of your life. What exactly did that mean? If someone is the love of your life, then perhaps that is the only spectacle in time that they are there with you for. Maybe after life was done, the lovers were no longer meant to be with one another.

In the case of being someone's love for eternity, that could mean that in addition to being the love of their life, they were also the love of that beings afterlife and life after that, assuming there was such a thing.

Lily smiled at the thought and came to the conclusion: she would tell James how she felt. It would be difficult, but fair. She knew she couldn't lead him on like this.