Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. As everyone already knows, J.K Rowling owns them all.

Author's Note: Thanks to Your Authoress, ameo, lilyfan06, lizziee, RubyBinds, famousindafuture, sugur-huny-bun, koolkatkt123, CrazzyD', dancechic12345, Etar, The all mighty and powerfulM, coffeegirl123, The Marauders and Lily, dumer girl, Phoebe, smurfinator, and jitterbug393 for reviewing! You have no idea how much I appreciate you all!

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James looked up at his ceiling, but all he could see was darkness. He grumbled slightly and his hand instantly flew to his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. Looking at the clock that stood next to his bed, James saw that it was two o'clock in the morning; exactly twenty minutes had passed since he last checked the time.

He wasn't sure how much more of this he could handle. Throughout the entire night, he probably slept a grand total of one hour. The rest of the time he was thrashing around his bed in an attempt to find a comfortable position to sleep in, or staring at the dark ceiling in hopes sunlight might make an appearance.

He simply couldn't sleep. He didn't know why either; he should be tired. Nature told him he should be drowsy. He woke up early yesterday, to take Erica on the boat, and certainly had his workout while with her the night before. Not to mention he had been outside all day long, the sun beating down on him and the waves splashing onto the small boat.

James couldn't understand why he wasn't fast asleep. He checked the clock once more and was disappointed to note that only three minutes passed. James grumbled and grabbed his wand, which sat on his bedside table. With a simple flick of the wrist, James pointed to the light switch and his room was suddenly bright.

He had to shut his eyes at once before slowly opening them to adjust to the bright lights. Once he could see again, James threw off his covers and made his way toward the kitchen. Perhaps a glass of milk would be the remedy he needed to put him back to sleep; his mother always gave it to him as a child before going to bed.

Quietly, James opened the refrigerator door and let the thick, white liquid pour into a large glass. He took the drink to the wooden kitchen table and sat down, nearly collapsing in the chair. The cold milk ran down his throat and nestled into his stomach, making him feel full at once.

As James leaned back in his chair, forcing it to hold his weight on just two legs, James suddenly heard Lily's voice in his head, "One of these days, you're going to hurt yourself, Potter. And don't you dare come running to me crying about it, because I warned you." She said those words on numerous occasions when they dated back in seventh year, preaching to him as if she were his mother, not his girlfriend.

He would always grin at her and make some witty comment, causing her to roll her eyes at him. It was that sort of banter that kept their relationship alive, made them enjoy each other's company. He recalled how she called him "Potter" even after they became friends. It was a habit of hers that was hard to break, and in the company of their friends, that was her name for him. Only when it was just the two of them, sharing a moment together, would she refer to him as his rightful name.

Looking around him, James felt his heart speed up. He got the sudden urge to do something he hadn't done in years. He just needed to see the simple object, the one that tormented him for years after he and Lily ended their relationship. James pointed his wand in the direction of his room and muttered a spell; an instant later, a large book appeared in front of him, nearly knocking over his glass of milk.

James's eyes gleamed as he opened the hardbound book to the first page. Inscribed at the left hand corner was a note, which read,

Dear James,

I hope this finds you before you come home to London, but it took me longer to compile than I expected it would. I miss you so much; I feel like I'm going crazy without you. I know that you and your dad have been planning this month long trip since his incident, and I truly hope the two of you are enjoying your stay in America, but I miss you so much. And I really don't care what you say, Sirius is not a good replica of yourself. He's a complete goofball (like you) but I swear, if I have to hear him obsess about another girl's assets one more time, I'll shoot myself! Anyways, I miss you and I love you, so please come home soon. I don't know how much longer I can last without seeing you every day of the week.

Love,

Lily

P.S. Sirius, Remus, and Peter say hat if you miss one more of their monthly adventures, they're likely to strip you of your Marauder status.

P.S.S. You left one of your Quidditch sweatshirts at my house, the one that supports England. I'm keeping it, and I don't care what you say about that, Potter.

P.S.S.S. I know what you're thinking when you read the end of this note, so I must say, I love you more.

James smiled as he reread the note. He remembered receiving it while in America with his father. The trip wasn't a surprise to him; it had been planned ever since his father suffered from a heart attack. After the incident, his father realized how little of the world he had actually seen, which was the cause of his parents constant travel and the journey James took with his father. It had been an enjoyable experience; they saw everything from New York to Los Angles to Alaska. It was an incredible trip.

James's only complaint about it was the length. He missed Lily and his fellow Marauders so much while away. It was the first time since he started Hogwarts that he had ever been apart from them for more than a week.

He chuckled as he read Lily's first P.S. to him. Of course, he knew it was probably true too. You see, Remus Lupin, was not the average wizard. He was a werewolf as well, which was the reason for his nickname, Moony. As a result of his condition, his fellow Marauders came up with a plan to make his transformation more enjoyable. In their sixth year at Hogwarts, James, Sirius, and Peter (with great help from James and Sirius) became Animagi, meaning they could transform into animals. This way, they could accompany Remus during his time as a werewolf, because as animals he could do them no harm. Of course, this was a very illegal process, so not many people knew of it. The only person besides the Marauders that knew about it was Lily Evans. James wasn't even confident enough to tell Erica yet, besides, it was Remus's secret, not his.

Anyway, once a month, during the full moon, all four men, James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, would transform into animals, stag, dog, rat, and werewolf, respectively. They would run wild for the night, accompanying each other through fun adventures in different abandoned areas. The tradition started while at Hogwarts, but since the Marauders remained close during their post-Hogwarts era, they decided to continue the tradition. Even at the age of twenty-two, the four men met once a month to pursue their adventures. Other than that one time while James was away in America, none of them ever missed a transformation.

James smiled, noting that the next transformation was coming up soon, about a week away. He couldn't wait for it. It was his one way to escape from the world as he knew it, escape from the murders of his friends and family.

He tightly blinked his eyes, forcing himself to think of something else. His eyes scanned Lily's letter once again, landing on her second P.S. note. She still had that sweatshirt of his, well, as long as she hadn't thrown it out yet. He remembered when he left it at her house. It was just a few days after Hogwarts ended and James went to visit her for the day. He knew her reason for keeping it wasn't just that he left it there; it was because it smelled like him. She told him that at a later date, arguing that she wouldn't give it back over her dead body. Of course, that erupting in fits of giggles on both parts, both of them finding her attachment to the sweatshirt hilarious.

His favorite thing about her note was her third and final P.S. When they were dating, it always brought a smile to his face. Lily was the first girl he ever loved, and he wasn't ashamed to tell her it either. Whenever she told him that she loved him, he would always counter with, "I love you more." Now, however, in this letter, she beat him to it. Just the fact that she cared enough to write it made his heart skip a beat.

No, scratch that. It used to make his heart skip a beat, not anymore. He didn't love Lily Evans anymore, he loved Erica. It was plain and simple. Lily was years ago, not now. Erica was the present, she was his now.

However, a nagging voice in his head reminded James that if he was so in love with Erica, why couldn't he express that into words? And why was he looking at a present Lily had sent him years ago?

He groaned, knowing that he shouldn't be looking at the object stationed in front of him, but flipped to the next page anyway. It revealed four photographs looking up at him, all containing images of the two of them together. James stared at each one, studying them carefully. The images were addicting, almost as addicting as Lily herself was. He couldn't seem to look away, similar to how he acted toward Lily, every look entrancing him.

First on the page was a photograph taken on the second day of classes. The Daily Prophet, the local newspaper, printed an article about Hogwarts' newest Head Boy and Girl, namely, James Potter and Lily Evans. Accompanying the article was a small photograph of the two students, their Head badges shining brightly.

James could only assume that Lily saved the newspaper from that day and later cut out the picture to give him. It was still in black and white and had the crisp, newspaper feel to it.

It was the only picture in the entire album taken before they began dating. The only reason they were even posing within five feet of each other was because of the newspaper article. Otherwise, the album wouldn't consist of a single pre-dating photograph. Of course, after they began dating, there were many pictures of the two of them together. Lily had a passion for photography. Every chance she got she was snapping a photograph of him and his friends, or putting the camera on a timer so that she and James could share an image together.

He continued to flip through page after page, oblivious to his surroundings. Every once in a while, he would use his wand to refill a glass of water, but other than that, his mind was completely absorbed by the album. It engulfed him, wiped away all his normal senses of time, hunger, and tiredness. He worked through it all, forcing his eyes open to study each page more carefully than the previous. James didn't even realize it when the sun started to shine through the curtains, providing natural light into the small flat.

It wasn't until Sirius stumbled his way over to the kitchen to start the coffee maker did James even realize it was morning. Still groggy eyed, Sirius looked at his best friend, then at the book lying open on the table. "James, how long have you been awake for?"

James glanced at the clock on the wall; it was nearly seven o'clock in the morning. He had to be at his desk, sorting through papers for work in one hour. He couldn't believe he spent the past five hours looking through the photo album, and he hadn't even finished with it yet. Granted, it was fairly large, due to Lily's obsession with photography, but still, five hours was a long time.

"Not long," James lied.

Sirius looked at him, knew something wasn't quite right, but didn't say anything. It was too early in the morning; he couldn't quite focus on anything right now, at least not before his breakfast. He needed a large quantity of food and a steaming mug of coffee to wake him up.

"Okay," Sirius simply said before turning around and walking towards the bathroom so he could take a shower.

James looked at the album, then back up at the clock. He wished he had more time to study the pictures, obsess over Lily's perfect smile, body, and eyes. However, he knew that he needed to get ready for work. Grudgingly, he walked away from the book, leaving it open so he could easily regain his spot once he came home.

---

James could feel his eyes getting heavy as he sat in his comfortable, leather chair in his office. It felt like the perfect place to take a nap; the leather soothing against his skin, the softness providing just the right amount of cushioning, and the area around him peacefully quiet. Yes, it was the ideal location to rest his eyes.

If James had been thinking clearly that morning, he would have never shut his eyes, even for just a moment. He knew his was in the office, a place for business transactions and hard work. It was no place to take a nap.

However, he wasn't thinking clearly. He didn't have enough sleep in him to begin functioning, let alone think clearly. So, he nodded off to sleep. His mouth was slightly ajar, allowing air to come through his mouth to breathe. At first, only his head hung forward, causing high tension on the back of his neck. Quickly, his entire body slumped over, relaxing against the hard surface of his desk. His head rested lightly across his forearm, which provided some support for his head.

James's didn't know how much time passed by, but he was rudely awaken by the sound of a gruff voice yelling, "Potter, what the fuck are you doing?"

James jumped up at once, instantly recognizing Mr. Herney's voice. It wasn't the tone James usually received, but he knew it at once. On more than one occasion, he overheard his boss shouting at his colleagues, yelling that they were inadequate for the job. Needless to say, it was not the tone any one ever wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry, sir," James instantly said, his head popping off his sleeve.

"You're sorry?" Mr. Herney barked. "This is a workplace, as in you should be doing work, not sleeping. We aren't four years old here, we don't have nap time."

"It won't happen again," James inputted.

"Well, it better damn well not happen again," Mr. Herney snapped. "I won't have this kind of behavior in my office."

"I'm sorry, sir, I really am. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," James began.

"I don't need to hear your petty excuses," Mr. Herney replied, his eyes narrowing in on the youngest member of his law team. "It just better not happen again."

"It won't."

"Good, now get back to work. I want all those files on my desk by eight a.m. tomorrow morning," Mr. Herney snapped, nodding his head toward James's paperwork.

"Yes, sir."

With that said, Mr. Herney left James's office. James couldn't believe how unfair his boss was being about the situation. There were probably twenty files on his desk; he couldn't possibly complete it by the end of the day. He'd have to work into overtime, which James desperately didn't need. He just wanted to get home and get some sleep, not stay at the office and work. He'd have to half-ass the files. It was the only way.

He sighed and reached for the first one, his eyes glancing at the clock on his desk. He couldn't believe the time when he saw it; he had been sleeping for nearly an hour and a half. James automatically brought his fingers to his hair, pulling the messy mop away from his eyes. In the process, he felt his sleeve brush against his chin; it was wet. Fuck. He'd been drooling. There was no escape from his slumber now; everyone would see the mark he made. Shit. He hated work.

---

When James got home later that day, nearly an hour later than he was supposed to arrive, he found Erica and Sirius seated in the living room. They were watching the muggle television again, an episode of Bewitched. Neither of them noticed James, they were in a much too heated discussion concerning the show.

"I just don't get it; I mean the nose thing, how dumb is that?" Sirius complained.

"I know, if they're going to make a show about a witch, at least make it realistic. Look at the cloths the mother is wearing, no witch would ever wear that. None of them even have robes for crying out loud!" Erica exclaimed.

"Not to mention a wand, what kind of witch wouldn't have a wand?"

"Not a very good one."

"Obviously," Sirius replied. "But do you know what bugs me the most?"

"What?"

"They call the men warlocks. We're wizards, not warlocks. Muggles are so insensitive sometimes, they just go and invent a name for a magical man, and not use his proper title," Sirius ranted.

"There, there," Erica sympathetically said, reaching her hand across the couch and briefly patting Sirius on the shoulder. She then returned her hand to her own lap and stared at the television. "Why do they have commercials?"

"Hey," James finally spoke up. He stood in the wide doorframe, his arms crossed across his chest and a smile on his face. He loved seeing his best friend and his girlfriend getting along. Nothing made him happier to know that they were genuine friends, not just pretending on his behalf.

"Why are you so late?" Sirius questioned, knowing the time simply because of the television show. He practically had the schedule memorized in his head. It wasn't that he was lazy, or even watched television all day long, he just liked to know when his favorite shows were playing. Even as much as he liked to complain about Bewitched, he did enjoy it. Sirius claimed it was because he found it humorous, but James was certain the only reason was because he found the actress that played Samantha a total babe.

"Mr. Herney is just about the biggest jackass in the entire world, that's why," James replied, plopping down on the chair next to the couch.

"You got everything done though, right?" Erica sweetly asked. James sent her a letter earlier that day, venting about how awful his day had been. He didn't like to do it very often, but today he felt the need to express his opinions and get them off his chest.

"Yeah, but I rushed through all of them," James answered. "But whatever, it's done."

"You want something to drink?" Erica asked. She knew the apartment so well; it wasn't awkward for her to be asking its two owners if they wanted something from the kitchen. The apartment was a home away from home for her, a place to relax with her boyfriend and his friends.

"Sure, a soda would be nice."

"Sirius?"

"Yeah, I'll have a soda too."

Erica then left the room for a moment, and the two boys could hear her opening the cupboards to retrieve the glasses.

"Evans stopped by earlier," Sirius suddenly announced. He didn't turn to face James, he just said it.

"When?"

"Noon, I had to come home for a minute."

"What did she want?"

"You."

"What?" James asked, his eyes wide and heart racing.

"To hang out with you," Sirius replied, wondering exactly what set off James so much.

"What'd you say?"

"Well, I talked to her for a little bit, you know, small talk. Then I said I had to get back to work and that you'd be home in the afternoon. She said she'd stop by sometime tonight," Sirius said.

"When tonight?"

"I don't know."

There conversation was cut short when they saw Erica emerge into the living room. The three glasses of soda were floating in front of her, each one zooming toward the coasters that sat on the table in front of the couch. In Erica's hands, there was a large book, and James's heart sank at once. It was the photo album that Lily gave him. Shit. She must have found it while in the kitchen. Why didn't he think to put it away before he left for work? Moreover, why didn't he at least think to shut it. Instead, it was open to the exact page where he left off from this morning.

"Who's this?" Erica asked, her blue eyes shining as she set the book down on the table and pointed to Lily.

James felt his heart speed up. Shit. What should he say? Should he tell her the truth about Lily being his ex-girlfriend, the only woman he's ever truly loved? Should he explain that she broke his heart four years ago and that the other day she came walking back into his life? Should he say that he never truly got over the beautiful redhead?

He glanced at the four pictures that looked up at him. They were all taken at the Hogwarts graduation party for the seventh years. One was of all the seventh years in Gryffindor, all smiling and tossing their hats up into the air. Beneath that, there was a picture of James and his three best friends, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. All four boys were grinning, their smiles nearly reaching their ears. On the opposite page, there was a picture of James, Sirius, and Lily. Lily was squished in between the two boys and laughing hysterically at something that one of them had said. Every once in a while, she'd throw her head back in a fit of giggles. The final picture on that page was one of James, Lily, and the rest of the Marauders. They all held Gryffindor goblets in their hands and held them towards the camera. It was truly a way of saying goodbye to Hogwarts, taking their last drinks in the Great Hall.

As James eyed the pictures, he noticed that none of them actually portrayed his relationship with Lily. From the looks of the four pictures, she could have easily been another friend of his. Maybe he shouldn't let Erica know about the years he pinned after Lily Evans. Then again, he couldn't just keep something as big as this away from her forever, why not tell her now and get it over with?

After a moment of James's silence, Sirius took it upon himself to answer Erica's question. "That's Lily Evans. She and James…"

James didn't let him finish though, he couldn't. "We were Head Boy and Girl together." James gave Sirius a look, one that he hoped would shut him up for the rest of the night.

"You guys look like pretty good friends," Erica commented.

"Yeah, we were, sort of," James half lied. "We became friends once we were named Head Boy and Girl, but once Hogwarts ended, we didn't really keep in touch."

"How come you never mentioned her?"

"I don't know, I don't really think about her often," James answered. "She moved out of London after school ended and I haven't had a lot of contact with her since."

"What prompted you to take this out then?" Erica questioned, her fingers slipping behind the page, ready to flip to the next.

James felt his heart race again. Shit. She couldn't go to the next page. James knew exactly what was on the next page. It contained a photograph of him and Lily kissing beneath the large tree near the lake. It was where they had their first kiss, and Lily thought it would have been cute to have their last Hogwarts kiss under that same tree.

James needed to get that book away from Erica. She couldn't see it. Shed know he lied to her if she saw that next page. On instinct, James leaped up from his seat and grabbed the book away from Erica, shutting it in the process. He needed some sort of excuse. Shit. He thought back to Erica's last question and decided to honestly answer it, "Lily's in town for a bit. I ran into her the other day and thought I'd look at this."

"Okay," Erica replied, looking at him as if he grew an extra head. His behavior was so weird today. "Well, I think I've got to head out, I need to be to work in half an hour."

"Okay," James responded. He walked with Erica to the front door, kissing her goodbye as she left. It wasn't a passionate kiss, more like a kiss a parent would give a child before heading off to school.

When he returned to the living room, he noticed that Sirius was giving him an odd look. "What?" James questioned as he plopped down in his chair.

"How come you didn't tell her the truth about Lily?"

"I don't know," James replied.

"James, why'd you get that album out?" Sirius questioned. He was determined to get some sort of answer out of James, one that was better than 'I don't know.'

"I don't know," James answered, averting his eyes toward the ceiling.

"Come on, that's bull shit and you know it," Sirius responded. "Prongs, you haven't looked at that album in two years, and now, with Evans back in town, you can't keep your eyes off it. I saw you looking at it this morning, and even though I was a little out of it then, I'm fully awake now and you can't pull this shit."

"I'm not pulling any shit," James snapped.

"You need to let go of Evans, it's been four years for God's sake," Sirius exclaimed.

"I don't need to let go of anything because there's nothing there to let go of," James angrily replied.

"Have you told Erica you love her yet?" Sirius asked, staring directly into James's hazel eyes.

James looked down at his hands in his lap.

"That's what I thought," Sirius informed him, standing up from the couch as he spoke. "You know, James, Erica is an amazing woman. I wish you weren't so stuck up on the past so that you could actually see that too."

"I do see that," James insisted, stepping to his feet so he could be eyelevel with his friend.

"Then why don't you show it?"

"I do show it."

"By doing what? Looking at a present your ex-girlfriend gave you? By not telling her that you love her? By fucking obsessing over Lily Evans? You haven't done anything," Sirius exclaimed.

"What do you want me to do? It's not that easy," James replied, sitting back down in his chair as he spoke. He ran his fingers through his hair again, stressfully pulling at the strands of messy hair. "Three days ago, I would have been happy and I would have told Erica that I love her, because I do. But now, ever since I saw Lily, it's different. I just can't focus on anything."

Sirius took a seat on the edge of the couch and looked over at his friend. "James, I know you loved her a lot, but that was four years ago. Things are different now; you're different. My God, you've got a beautiful girlfriend, good job, and if I do say so myself, good friends. You don't need Lily Evans anymore, just let her go."

"I want to," James admitted, "I just can't."

Their conversation was stopped short however, by the sound of a knock on the door. Both wizards looked at each other, as if to say they would continue at a later date. James then got off the chair and went to the door. He automatically ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up more than it already was.

As he turned the cold, metal handle and opened the door, he met the smiling face of Lily Evans. She had the slightest bit of pink across her cheeks, as if she had been running or out in the cold weather. Her hair seemed to shine, especially as it laid against her teal shirt.

"Lily," he dumbly said.

"Is this a good time?" she asked, a hopeful look across her face.

"Um, of course, come in," James stuttered, holding the door open for the beautiful redhead. "So, what's up?"

"Not too much," Lily answered. "I just spent the past four hours with my mum and sister, and they are driving me crazy. I just had to get away and see someone, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all."

"I stopped by earlier, did Sirius tell you?"

"Yeah."

"So, do you want to do something?" Lily asked.

James looked at her and had the sudden urge to kiss her. He wondered what her pink lips would feel like against his. Would it be the same as when they last kissed, or would it be new and different?

He mentally slapped himself for thinking that. He was with Erica now, not Lily. His life wasn't about Lily anymore. She wasn't his to kiss anymore. But still, it would feel so good… No. he ordered himself to stop thinking like that. Erica was his girlfriend. Erica, not Lily.

Quickly, he readjusted his brain to focus on the question Lily asked him. What did she want? To do something? He though about it for a split second before suggesting, "Do you want to go to a local pub or something? I know you're not too much of a drinker, but it's a pretty cool place. They've got this muggle game, pool, I think it's called. Anyway, it's pretty fun."

"Sure," she answered.

With that said, they left the building and began to walk toward the pub. It was only a couple blocks away from James's apartment, meaning that James could easily drink a few beers without having to worry about apparating home. That was his favorite thing about the pub; it's location. On days like this one, he knew he would be taking advantage of the close proximity. He needed to do something to clear his mind of the Lily fiasco.

Once they arrived, James ordered a beer for himself and let the bartender know that he wanted a tab for himself and Lily. He then motioned toward her and asked what she planned to drink that evening, figuring it would be something light.

"Give me your basic Martini, heavy on the vodka," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am, coming right up," the man behind the counter said, eyeing Lily as he made her drink.

Once they both had their drinks, they made their way over to an abandoned table and took a seat. "So, going right for the hard stuff tonight?"

"Wouldn't do it any other way," she joked.

"Seriously though, since when have you been into drinking anything with vodka in it?"

"Oh James, silly, naïve, James. It's been four years, a lot about me has changed since then," she replied, taking a small sip of her drink. "Besides, I need this."

"Your day was that bad?"

"It was a nightmare," she answered. "Do you remember that time you came to my house and Petunia was freaking out that you and I were going to cast some spell on her and she started screaming that we were both freaks?"

"Yeah," he casually said, recalling the incident automatically.

"It was like that, except ten times worse."

"Sorry."

"Don't be," she replied, sighing as she spoke. "There's nothing in this world that will convince my sister that witches and wizards aren't weird freaks. I've tried everything since I was eleven, but she'll never budge. Why should this week be any different? I mean, it wouldn't be coming home if Petunia was civil to me and my mother didn't cry every time we fought."

"Sounds a little rough."

"Nah, you get used to it," Lily said. "Sometimes though, I just wish it were different, you know? For just once I wish that Petunia wouldn't look at me as if I had three heads."

"She's just jealous."

"That's what my dad always says."

"He's a smart man," James informed her, not even realizing how badly he was flirting with her.

Lily made a groaning noise, but then said, "I don't even want to talk about my sister anymore, it's bad enough I have to see her every day for the entire week."

"Then we won't talk about her," he replied, looking across the table with understanding eyes. "We can play that poll game, if you want."

Lily eyed her drink and then looked over at the empty pool table. She looked back at her drink one more time and in one gulp, completely finished it. She felt a small kick from the vodka, a nice, relaxing feel. "Let's go for it."

She led the way to the table and carefully aligned all the balls into the middle of the table. She grabbed a stick off the wall for herself, then tossed one over to James.

"Do you want to take the first shot?" he asked.

Lily eyes him for a moment, but walked closer to the table and positioned the stick to line up with the white ball. With a forceful jab, she sent the balls flying across the table, knocking two of the solids into the pockets.

"I guess I'm solids," she stated, a grin on her face. She hesitated for a moment, but then said, "And by the way, James, the first shot is called breaking."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. How did she know how to play pool? Sure, it was a muggle game, and Lily was born into the muggle world. But wasn't this game for older people, men and women their age?

James watched as Lily once again took another shot. The white ball went flying toward the purple solid, knocking it towards the corner. It came within centimeters of the pouch, but luckily for James, didn't go in.

"You're up," she informed him.

James took another gulp of his beer before approaching the table. He took a shot at the orange striped ball, but it didn't even come close to getting in the pocket. Shit. Lily was going to beat him at pool, how embarrassing.

As Lily went to take another shot, James took another swing of his beer, letting the cold liquid rush down his throat. Maybe if he had enough of these bottles, it would explain his poor playing skills. With that plan in mind, James excused himself from the table and walked over to the bartender. He ordered another drink for himself and for Lily. Maybe it would mess with her playing skills as well.

Three drinks later for James, and two drinks later for Lily, James's plan had worked. Not only could his awful pool skills be blamed on his five beers, but Lily couldn't aim if her life depended on it. He had never seen her intake so much alcohol throughout their entire time of knowing each other, including the weekend in the summer when the Marauders through an insane party for all their Hogwarts friends.

Lily hunched over the table, the pool stick placed in between her fingers. She glanced up at James, and in a drunken tone exclaimed, "Now, James, this is the way to shoot pool." She moved her arm forward, which forced the stick to move as well. This time, she didn't even manage to move the white ball.

Both Lily and James found themselves in fits of laughter over this, especially as James finished his sixth beer. Lily sat down on a nearby stool, her hands clenching onto her thighs. She could barely stand up she was laughing so hard.

James strolled over next to her, a smile plastered across his face, "You know, you're very pretty when you smile."

"You're pretty too," she replied, laughing at her mistake of calling him pretty instead of calling his smile handsome. "Hey, James, what do you say we get out of here?"

If James was in a better state of mind, he would have flat out refused to leave. Of course, a part of his heart would have told him to go, but the logical side of him would say no. He was with Erica, he wouldn't leave with Lily.

However, he wasn't in a better state of mind. Therefore, he found himself walking down the streets back to his apartment building. The entire way there, he and Lily couldn't stop their laughter. They found everything funny, from a rock that looked like Dumbledore to a woman's hat with a large stuffed animal sticking off the top. Everything was absolutely hilarious.

Finally, once they arrived to the apartment, James led Lily back to his apartment building. He fumbled with his keys for a moment, knowing that Sirius wouldn't be home. He recalled his best friend mentioning something about having a date that night, but he couldn't remember anything more than that. Anyway, James finally found the right key and inserted it into the keyhole. He twisted it in until he heard the sound of the bolt coming open and then yanked his keys out of the slot.

"Right this way," James announced, opening the door for Lily.

"Thank you," she slurred, making it sound more like, 'thannkkk yoouuuu."

As they walked into the rooms, James headed towards the living room. He wasn't the type of person that could just lead a girl right into his room; he felt he needed to talk with her for a little longer.

However, as soon as Lily saw the couch, she instantly collapsed onto it. Within minutes, she was sound asleep, leaving James to stare at her peaceful face.

James sighed and went to the hall closet to retrieve a blanket. He then went back into the living room and draped it over Lily's body, not wanting her to be cold at all during the night. He watched her for a moment, staring at her gorgeous red hair, smooth skin, and plush lips. She was truly beautiful.

He then walked back to his own room and crawled into bed. As he lay there, he looked across the room at the picture of him and Erica. James blinked his eyes tightly shut, trying to focus on something. He didn't have quite enough alcohol in him to make him completely senseless.

As he opened his eyes again, he still saw the picture of him and Erica. That was how it was supposed to be. He was dating Erica, not Lily. How could he have ever dreamed of having sex with Lily right then? That wasn't like him. He wouldn't do that to anyone. It was a good thing Lily fell asleep; James didn't ever want to hurt Erica like that.

Sighing, James used his wand to shut off the lights. He closed his eyes for the night and caught up on his much-needed sleep. Still, even in his dreams, he had an internal battle concerning Lily and Erica.

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Author's Note 2: Hi all, I hope you enjoyed chapter four! Please tell me what you think of this one, I know that not many of you liked the last just because of the whole Erica and James having sex part, but please bear with me! Anyways, please review! It makes the writing process much easier for me, which means faster updates for you!