Celebwen Telcontar: Well, here's a brand new story here. The plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone!

Balrog: Then make it into a plot-bunny stew. What happened to Constant Vigilance by the way?

Celebwen Telcontar: The plot bunny ran off. Really. I'm not overly hungry at the moment, so I won't eat either plot bunny. Please review, people! And I do not own anything except for the Jacobs'. Not even Lily's new identity! That belongs to Baen Books. And Timothy Zahn.

CT

With her eyes closed, Lily Maria Evans-Potter stood defiantly in front of the Dark Lord. A green luminescence came towards her, tinged with orange through her eyelids. A gentle breeze whispered in the large mansion's nursery, and her life flashed before her eyes. Then, it was gone. The entire world faded from green and orange to an all consuming blackness. The last sounds she heard were of her baby boy screaming in fear and Voldemort cackling in twisted childish glee.

Sunlight and cold snow awoke her. Pain was in her chest, and she pressed a shaking hand to her heart. It came away red. Blood covered her blouse, and the snow she laid on was tinged scarlet with the hot liquid, and she sat up. The cloying sweet-coppery scent of blood lingered in her nostrils, and she stood to get away from it. That was when she saw the massive boot tracks. Hagrid had obviously been here, and had probably set her… corpse… out here before the house collapsed on her. The gamekeeper was notoriously dense, and so it was understandable. But her baby… her baby and her husband were dead. She had nothing to live for here. If she was to continue her life here, she would be seen as a freak of nature, and probably would have her blood drawn for samples to try and recreate whatever had happened. So, she would disappear. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she care. Just to get away from the Gods-and-Goddesses-forsaken sexist wizard's world. She would also need a new name; no one would look for… well, whoever she was going to be, but everyone and their second cousin would be mad to know Lily Maria Evans Potter. Wait… Maria. Maria… something. Green, she always loved her eye color, and now she would take them as her name. But Maria Green, that sounded too plain. Mara Green. That sounded nice. But Green?! Why Green?! Why not something more… exotic. Jade. Mara Jade. That would be her new name. Mara Lilia Jade. And now… well, she needed a new life. How better to get that new life than by making a new identity for herself and moving out of the country?

Slowly, she wandered down the streets. She had left her wand down by where she had been, after using it to change her hair a shade or two lighter, from a deep auburn to a true red, and Transfigure her clothing into something suitable. Then, she was about to pirouette in Apparition, when a golden beam of light struck her. She knew no more.

Courtney Jacobs opened the door. She was a new wife, and she had been told by the doctors that she was unable to bear children. She was heartbroken by this fact, and so when she saw the infant in too-big clothes on her doorstep, her wishful maternal streak kicked in and she brought the baby into the house.

"Daniel!" she cried. Her husband gave an inarticulate moan from upstairs. "Well, little one, what's your name?" she asked the baby. The adorable little girl, brilliant emerald eyes gleaming in the light, scrunched up her face.

"Ma'a. Mawa. Mara. Mara Ja'e. Jabe. Jade. Mara Jade," the girl said with a great deal of difficulty. So, Courtney thought, Mara Jade. That was a pretty name. A beautiful one, even. She could have no children of her own, so she wold take in this milk bottle baby and raise little Mara Jade as her own. Mara Jade Jacobs. Well, now all she would need would be to see if Daniel would take her.

Courtney smoothed the fussy baby girl's hair, and kissed her on the forehead. The baby quieted down and looked all about herself, then threw her arms about the mother. "Mama," she said firmly. Even at… maybe a few months old, the baby could say her own name and a few other words as well. It seemed that Courtney had adopted a prodigy.

Lily, now Mara, lay on the cold step. Why was she here? What idiot had de-aged her?! De-aging was bad enough; but he hadn't even had the decency to wipe her memories! Then, the door was opening, and she was taken into a warm set of arms. Perhaps this was the new chance she was wishing for. Well, it would have to do. When asked her name, Mara struggled a bit, but eventually got her name across. She hugged the woman, she would be Mara's new mother. Then, an older man came down the stairs, staring at the bundle in the woman's arms. Maybe it wasn't the best idea… he seemed quite shell-shocked.

"Courtney," Mara's new father said, "I'm contacting Sid. He asked to be notified if we found a child like this. Look at it, feel it's amazing potential. And look, Courtney, we can't have children. Let's not delude ourselves."

"Daniel! Giving a child, especially one as beautiful as little Mara here, to that cold-Daniel!-" Mara looked up at her mother. Her mother's face was going white, and her eyes were wide and terrified. She obviously had trouble with her heart. Maybe she was having a heart attack? "Dan-iel pl-ease--" Courtney was unable to get anything else out of the constriction of her chest. Mara's vocal cords were not strong enough to form articulate words, and so she just settled on screaming her terror. Warm arms took her as Courtney fell to the ground. Then, Daniel took her to the phone, where she was held as the man made a telephone call.

"Don't worry, little Mara. Everything will be fine. Sid will take good care of you, and we'll be able to live together as father and daughter. Too bad Courtney couldn't do that… well, I guess she's always had heart problems." A few minutes later, there was a ring at the door. Daniel got it, and Mara was handed off to a too-skinny man in a grey military outfit, and then was taken out into the November chill. Her life was about to change, forever. Lily Potter was gone, completely. Infant Mara Jade was now in her place, and was not going to have a good beginning to her life.

Celebwen Telcontar: Well, how did you like that? Lily Potter becoming a child and changing her name. I'm sure several of you know who Mara Jade is, who her employer is, and who she eventually marries.

Balrog: Since when is Lily a Hand?! Oh, wait. You don't want me to give it away, do you?

Celebwen Telcontar: I believe that I do not. As for Courtney, can anyone think of what happened? Her heart did not just give out on its own accord!

CT