A/N: Well, hello again! I actually did like this chapter, though it was a bit of a challenge to write. I wrote most of it while listening to tracks 4 – 7 from the Avatar soundtrack. Ah, awesome music! I love it all! Then again, this chapter does seem just a bit cheesy, even to me, but hopefully you guys like it =).

Just so you guys know, this is going to be a short story, about four chapters. It shouldn't be any more than that just because it's a simple story that was stuck in my mind. Still, I hope you guys like it. I know the characters aren't exactly canon, especially Lily, but I tried to make James and the others as personality-true as possible.

And of course, thank you my two reviewers that have reviewed so far =).

Chapter Two

The light coursing through the window seemed much too bright at this time of the morning. Granted, he had no idea what time "this time" was, but he wanted to remain asleep, to cling to the vestiges of the most wonderful and realistic dream he had ever dreamt. It hovered over his consciousness like a cloud of hazy warmth, and he snuggled deeper into the pillow beneath his head.

A small, tinkling laughter echoed through his ears, and his eyes shot open. He blinked, utterly astounded at the sight that greeted his eyes. Lily's face was upside-down, and the pillow under his head was apparently her lap. Her red hair glinted in the sunlight, and he smiled at the fact that she was wearing his red and gold Quidditch jersey. Lily's hands were gently sifting through his hair, and he looked at her face, lively and happy – so different from last night.

Last night.

He froze, worriedly glancing at the green-eyed girl looking down at him. She was wearing nothing but his Quidditch shirt, and he suddenly realized that there was nothing covering his body. He took his head out of Lily's lap and sat against the pillows, trying to keep as much of himself covered as possible as he removed himself from the girl in his bed. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying – but not succeeding – to keep his eyes off of the beautiful girl in his shirt.

"Um…"

Lily gently shook her head, placing a slim finger on his lips. "Shh," she whispered. A smile flitted onto her lips, and leaned over, capturing his lips with hers. She leaned back, gaze involuntarily tracing down his chest and beneath the comforter. James smiled as a deep blush heated her cheeks. It seemed as if all his questions about last night had been answered.

She blushed again as her gaze traveled under the covers, and she quickly stood from the bed. "I think we should get something to eat."

"Oh, right!" he laughed, throwing back the covers and stretching before heading to the door. A small giggle stopped him, and he turned back with a questioning gaze. Lily's cheeks were bright red, but her eyes dancing.

"James, you… um… you might want to wear something."

He glanced down, cheeks burning as he realized what he had just been about to do. Lily's fingers twisted in his Quidditch jersey as she motioned to the door. "I'm just… going to go get some shorts."

James nodded, hurriedly going through his drawers when she left. He couldn't believe he had been about to walk outside naked, but he quickly threw on some shorts and a t-shirt. Though it was winter, the castle was kept relatively warm – courtesy of magic no doubt. It would be impossible to keep the entire castle heated without magic.

Lily walked through the door, and true to her word, all she had changed about her outfit were shorts. One couldn't quite see them – his Quidditch jersey fell almost to the middle of her thighs – but they were there nonetheless. He noticed that she had fixed her hair (before it had been pleasantly rumpled), but other than that she looked like she had just woken up. She looked beautiful.

"So, how about the kitchens? I know a few of the elves there since it's… almost noon and the Great Hall will probably be filled with Merlin knows what."

Her eyes tightened, and she looked down for a moment. "Thank you, James."

He smiled and grabbed her hand, motioning for her to be silent. "We have to be sneaky going down to the kitchens, though, see. The Heads are off duty but the teachers are roaming the halls, not to mention those Slytherins are down near the kitchens. So. Stealthy, okay?" he nodded, and wasted no time in quickly stepping through the portrait hole and slinking down the hall.

Before long, they had quickly descended the moving staircase, took the long route that bypassed the Ravenclaw dormitories, and ended up outside of a painting of fruit. James smiled and pointed to it, and Lily's face twisted quizzically.

"James, what…?"

He leaned forward and pressed a finger onto the side of the largest fruit: a pear. Lily gasped when it giggled, and the portrait swung open to reveal the very large and well-stocked kitchens. House elves were suddenly bustling about, hurrying over to the two wizards that had entered their place of work. James laughed and introduced Lily and the elves to each other.

"This is Sonny, and last but not least, there's Rudy and Ruby, twins actually. Very rare that you find house elf twins."

Lily gave a small bow. "It's wonderful to meet all you."

"Thank you, Miss Lily. And thank you, Master James, for introducing us to such a wonderful witch," an elf by the name of Muddy said bashfully.

"Muddy, how many times have I asked you guys to call me James?"

"Protocol, Master James. Please forgive us," Rudy and Ruby muttered at the same time and bowed low, the other elves brushing their fingers together, obviously hopeful that they hadn't offended him.

"Of course, of course. But uh… Do you think you guys could make us some breakfast? Lily and I are starved," he said excitedly, winking at all of them. With a large chorus of "Yes, Master" and "Coming right up, Master" the elves set to work, burning more coal in a few of the fireplaces and fixing up the remainder of what hadn't been used during breakfast.

Lily ate more than James had seen her eat since a few months into seventh year, and the house elves seemed more than pleased that she had liked their cooking so much. After waving goodbye to the elves, James led Lily from the kitchens and back to the Head's Dormitory on the seventh floor.

The entire time, Lily seemed lost in thought, not even noticing that he had been gone for five minutes waiting for the tub in the bathroom to fill completely. He stepped back into the room, frowning slightly at the blank look on her face. A mild sort of fear fluttered in his chest, but he squashed it down, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. Lily? I think I should take a look at your bruises. Just to make sure they're all right," he said quietly, looking into her lost and troubled eyes.

She nodded wordlessly, removing his Quidditch shirt from her form but keeping her eyes away from his piercing gaze. He moved mechanically to check her wounds, desperately trying to keep his thoughts from wandering to the night before. She hadn't put on a bra underneath his shirt, and his fingers ached to move over the soft flesh. But he quickly glanced at the expression in her eyes, and all was forgotten. Whatever was plaguing her thoughts would be voiced soon; he was sure of it. He had spent too much time with Lily Evans to guess otherwise.

Most of her bruises were gone and healed; the skin where they had been was a bit discolored, but she didn't flinch when he touched them. The cut on her waist was completely healed, the spell he had used working out most of the damage. Once finished, he pushed a bit of her red hair out of her face.

"Come on," he whispered.

It took her a moment, and when he saw her eyes, his heart clenched. "Where?"

"Just follow me," he managed to smile. She quickly threw on his Quidditch jersey again and obeyed, following him to the bathroom and gasping when she saw the warm bath still emitting steam. James felt relieved at her reaction, but knew that if he stayed, his body would definitely wreak havoc on his mind.

"So, I'll just let you bathe by yourself. I'll be in my room if you need me."

"James, wait!" she cried. He had started to back away, but she had whirled around, grabbing onto his wrist as if he would disappear right before her eyes. "Stay. Please?"

He nodded mutely, stripping off his clothes as she quickly took off hers and stepped into the bath. She reached back, grasping his hand and pulling him into the tub with her. He moved to the other side, respectful of her space, but she moved over to sit in between his legs and pillow her head on his chest. He started to wrap his arms around her waist when she suddenly pulled away.

Green eyes stared at the water before she quickly glanced at him. The words flew from her mouth like a whirlwind, like if she was afraid she didn't say them, she never would. "James, I'm using you. I'm using you. All of this," she gestured to the bath and his bedroom, "is nothing. Meaningless. A lie."

She sounded in pain, and he moved over to her, lifting her dropped chin with his hand. "I know." He was surprised that he had been expecting it, but hadn't she also said that he could sometimes see her too well?

She flinched at his acquiescence, and the curiosity – and the anger – was evident in her burning gaze. He shrugged. "I love you, Lily." He let a moment pass for his words to sink into her mind, and smiled crookedly. "I also know that last night wasn't nothing. It wasn't meaningless to you. And you weren't lying."

A gasp flitted through her lips as his hand gently cupped her face, and his thumb caressed her cheeks as silent tears fell from shining green eyes. He could tell that this was what had tormented her conscious; no matter what she had wanted, last night was changing everything about them.

"Oh, James, thank you!" she cried softly, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck. He held her, fingers drawing calming circles over her spine. He rocked her gently, smiling despite himself.

"Like I told you before, Lily. You're kinda stuck with me," he whispered, and she let out a laugh, teardrops plinking onto his chest. This time, he knew that her tears were not caused by sadness, and he felt his heart soar.

She hid a small laugh behind her hand as she watched James attempting to practice his Charms lessons that had been assigned over the break. Every time he wouldn't get it right, he'd grit his teeth and mumble something about Merlin and other curse words that could be assigned to the short and stubby Flitwick that had mercilessly given all the seventh years a pile of ridiculously hard homework.

He was moving his hand entirely the wrong way, but she liked watching him. She couldn't believe he had read her so well; it had been difficult trying to convince herself how wrong it all felt. But no matter what she thought and knew, it didn't change the way her memories seemed to set her blood on fire at the thought of him touching her. Last night had been so different from the James that she had seen during the day.

In all her years of being around the Quidditch player, she had always known him to be arrogant and a womanizer. Sirius was definitely more so than he, but she had still seen the way the girls flocked around him like love struck grindylows (which was, by the way, a very odd sight to see). He had never turned down the attention, but he had never quite accepted it, either. James had had a few girlfriends – four to be exact. Two in fifth year, one in sixth year, and one for three days in the middle of this first term.

She blushed at the thought of her counting. She remembered feeling this, the strange sensation that she would explode if he didn't want to be with her. Maybe that was why she had agreed to go out with Randy. She looked at the calendar next to James' bed, and imagined the pages flipping back. It had been at the time that James had gone out with Vanessa the Slut, or that's what Lily and her friends had called the girl.

But last night had changed everything. She had thought that James would put up with healing her until he, too, would tell her he had had enough, but he didn't. He had never turned her away, and last night… She gazed at him, trying to fathom how passionately and how wonderfully he had loved her last night. Never in any of the times with Randy had he loved her like James had. When Randy said he loved her, she realized now how empty those words had been. But when James said he loved her, his eyes, his hands, and his mouth did, too.

Shaking her head, she stood and made her way over to him. She hadn't realized that this feeling was the same as the one earlier in the year. But she knew that she didn't want anyone else to have him. She wanted him now and forever. She wanted him to be with her and to protect her, and she wanted to be there for him, and to love him and protect him like he had done for her.

Placing a hand on his, she lowered the arm that was in the air. "You're not giving it enough movement. In Transfiguration, a wrist movement is hardly needed. But for Charms, it's all in the flourish, but don't make it too flashy." She looked at him to make sure he had understood, but he was simply staring at her. She couldn't look away.

Only now did she realize how beautiful his eyes were. They were hazel, but the flecks of brown on the outside were like light milk chocolate that blended into sweet toffee with swirls of straw yellow, and there were tufts of almond stringing from rich obsidian pupils. Only now did she see the fire deep in his gaze as he took in what she was wearing. A blush colored her cheeks. His Quidditch shirt was the only thing in which she was dressed, but she doubted that there were boxers underneath his shorts.

She couldn't look away. His gaze seemed to hold her captive, and her stomach warmed as she continued to look at him. Not once had she ever seen him look at another girl like this. The intensity had never been there before when he had looked at Catherine or Vanessa; it was almost too much to bear. Why hadn't she realized this before? He wanted her desperately – she could see it in his eyes.

The warmth seeped lower. She wanted him, too. Merlin, she wanted him more than she thought possible. He was holding himself back, and she knew why. He was waiting for her to make the first move, for her to actually want to be with him. But she did want him. Only him. She wanted him in her life, in her heart, and in every part of her there was.

Finally, she managed to tear her gaze from his. This was no time to regret the fact that she had never fully realized James until now. Now was not the time to regret the fact that he seemed to make her feel more loved than anyone ever had. Now was not the time to regret hating him for most of her life. Nor would there ever be time for regrets. She had to live for the present, and for the future. And both were standing right in front of her.

A small, soft hand tenderly touched his bare back in between his shoulder blades, and she felt his toned body stiffen. She gently placed a kiss on his shoulder, slowly moving around to place another kiss on his right shoulder blade and another on the left one. Her hands changed, and she slid the right one down his spine as her lips touched the muscles on his left shoulder.

She stopped in front of him, leaning down to kiss each pectoral. She couldn't miss his sharp intake of breath and how his wand had seemed to clatter to the floor a few moments earlier. Her hands slid up to his neck, and her fingers wound in his hair.

"I want you, James," she whispered, letting the truth of her words echo through her eyes. He seemed shocked, whether it was due to her words or her actions, she wasn't quite sure. But she knew that he wanted her, too.

"Lily…" His voice trembled, and she could see him fighting for control.

"Only you, and all of you," she said softly, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to his warm chest. She had no idea how safe a place he could be until last night, when his hands had left trails of fire on her skin and his mouth had whispered so many precious things. She felt so safe with him, and even now, as he snaked his arms hesitantly around her waist and she looked up to see his gaze heavy with want, she felt safe in his arms. He was safety.

All she could do was stare, waiting for his acquiescence, when he suddenly bent down, smashing his lips onto hers.

"I love you," he said fiercely, but it made her body shudder. She gasped when his hands reached underneath the jersey and lightly skimmed her bare bottom. He picked her up, and she willingly wrapped her legs around his waist as he stumbled over to the bed. She didn't know when they hit the mattress; all she knew were the hands that were touching her everywhere her body craved.

His lips created hot kisses all over her skin, and she couldn't help but arch helplessly as he made the wonderful pleasure flood her senses. She had never known that there could be this kind of passion and love in an act such as this. Randy had always said that she was never skinny enough or that her breasts were a bit too small. But the way that James touched her, kissed her, made her feel so much more. To him, everything was perfect. Her skin was amazing, her breasts were perfect, and she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

"I love you," he whispered again.

"I know," she nodded. And she did. His mouth never lied about that. His eyes, his touch, his kiss echoed that same sentiment even stronger than his mouth did.

When he entered her, she cried out, pleasure licking through her like an uncontrollable fire. She squirmed as the feeling threatened to overtake her, until it shattered her body and she was left breathless. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, but she knew it was far from over.

She wasn't sure how long they continued to make love. All she knew were the powerful moments of ecstasy broken by the gentleness of his kiss or the way he held her after they had both gone over the edge. Sunlight slowly disappeared from the window to be replaced by darkness, and finally, James rested next to Lily, head buried in the crook of her neck and black hair matted with sweat.

She leaned into her him, her body just as sweaty as his. He nuzzled her gently, raining light kisses on her face in the after-effects of their post-coupling. She smiled and laughed gently, the sound much happier than she had heard it in a long time. She stroked her fingers through his wet hair, unable to wipe the smile off of her face.

"I'm starving. We should probably eat."

"Kitchens, again?" he smiled, and she nodded, quickly throwing on her shorts and his Quidditch jersey as they sneaked into the kitchens for food. After hurrying back upstairs, Lily flopped onto the bed, her muscles tired from the day's exertions. But when she saw the look on James' face, she smiled back, her stomach fluttering and the warmth in her core spreading as if she hadn't just had sex all day.

She blushed and sat up, eyeing the man in front of her. He was everything that she had ever wanted as a little girl that had dreamed about love and fairytales, and she couldn't believe that the man she loved had appeared as the one and only James Potter. Mary and Alice would surely be surprised.

Lily gasped. Mary and Alice! She hadn't seen them in two days! They were probably wondering where she was, or what had happened! She glanced furtively at the door, apprehension blooming on her face, and James was suddenly in front of her, hands on her shoulders.

"He won't be able to get in here, Lily. He can't hurt you anymore."

A small smile lifted her lips. Though that wasn't the problem, she was grateful. "No, it's not that. I haven't seen Alice or Mary in two days and they might be extremely worried… I normally show up the next afternoon…"

James looked disappointed, but she reached up and cupped his cheek. "They'll be all right, though. I want to spend time with you." She knew the word was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't want to say anything. Right now, she was still afraid that something would happen that would make him leave.

He seemed to understand what was going through her mind and smiled. "Lily, I will never leave you. You know that. And I love you. You know that, too. I won't disappear or change if you happen to want to be with me. Well, I might," he said as an afterthought, and her eyes widened.

"I'll probably bug you more, propose to you, that sort of thing."

For a moment, Lily couldn't speak. Then she swallowed, large green eyes staring intently into honest hazel ones. "James, I… Thank you." His smile grew, and he looked as if she had just made him the happiest person alive. She gave a small giggle that only grew until she was laughing as James twirled her around the room.

Once he set her down, she knew that this was right, that being with him was what she needed and wanted. He was her ground for standing, something that she could hold on to without worrying he'd disappear.

"Lily," he murmured, gazing heavily into her eyes as he softly pushed her against the bed and proceeded to make love again. This time, it was slow and torturous, the kind that drove her crazy with want and yet it all refused to fulfill her need. She could barely contain her screams as the pace frustrated her yet made her body pulse with fire. She reciprocated, doing everything in her power to drive him crazy. Her hands and mouth were everywhere, and it was like a slow, silent battle to see who could bring the other to climax first. Lily screamed, the orgasm shattering through her system the most powerful she'd ever had.

Both were out of breath, and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her like a shelter. She smiled, snuggling into his warm chest. "James," she whispered, unable to keep the happiness from her voice. "I'm happy. I really am happy." She gazed into his hazel eyes, even if she couldn't see them too well without light. The smile that grew on her lips could have put the sun to shame.

"I love you, Lily," he said softly, and she sighed pleasantly, her mind soon drifting off into sleep.

A/N: So, what do you guys think? I hope it doesn't sound too cheesy… I actually quite liked it. I think it'd be fun to do this sort of thing haha! Well, let me know what you guys think: good and bad criticism. I will reply if you have questions or if I just want to clear some stuff up =D.

- wolf's paradise