Lily banged open the room of a class room, her teeth ground together and her eyes locked in a piercing glare. James Potter was dead. So very dead.

"Potter?" she yelled out angrily into the black, digging her nails into the palm of her hands. She didn't know if she was angry with them or him. But it didn't really matter. All Lily needed was someone to vent her anger on. Someone who wouldn't hate her, or think she was being stupid. Someone who would smile at her in a way that wasn't at all condescending and make her angrier, just so she could get it all out.

... Lily was really losing it wasn't she? Head Girl, role model to students at Hogwarts, the grip on her sanity slowly getting weaker and weaker.

This might have been the great finale to her sane life, because if anything was going to drive her bonkers, it would be this. The outcome of her latest mistake, though she didn't regret making the error one bit. Which, in itself, was crazy.

"Yes, Lily-love?" The voice came from behind her, elegant and innocent, as if he had no idea what was wrong. Lily spun to face James, eyes crinkled in a hate-filled frown.

"You bastard!" she cried, crumpling her hands into tighter fists and raised them to beat against his chest angrily. "You bloody bastard! They all think- They all think that we're- We're! Just! Ugh!"

The angry fire that boiled her blood had cooked her brain too. Any concept of understandable speech was hopeless, blinding fury masked her vision to the outside world and her sane thoughts. All she did was hit and hit and hit. So mad at everything and nothing at all.

James merely released peals of rumbling laughter, "What did I do this time?"

She stopped her hitting, moving to jump up onto a desk top. "You let me skip class with you, you took me away for a full two hours. People noticed. They got the wrong idea."

Lily had turned from angry to embarrassed. Maybe she had acted irrationally, when she let it out like that it didn't seem like such a big deal. There had been more preposterous rumours about her...

This was silly, even for her. She knew it, but James didn't seem to think so. There was something in the way she had said it. Lily wasn't worried or mad because it was a rumour, but because it was so close to what they had, what they could have. That frightened both of them, for two entirely different reasons.

James stood in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her face to tilt it upwards. "I can make it go away. I'll tell them to stop talking. I'll make it all go away," he said sincerely, not knowing why it suddenly seemed like a big deal to him.

When Lily looked up at him to smile, he knew that this wasn't about silly stories, or about her skipping class. There was something else in this, he just couldn't figure it out. That anger hadn't been right, it hadn't fit the situation. If it was any other time Lily would've taken it out on the people who were talking, not on him. Unless she thought that it was him spreading the rumours, but why would he do that now?

"Ok," Lily whispered, feeling stupid and a little teary. "I'm sorry. I don't know why it's getting to me so bad."

He pulled her into a hug, his body wrapping around her, comforting and warming. This was home, this was important. If Lily lost this, she lost a part of herself. Maybe that's all she needed, a little reassurance that he wasn't going anywhere, not just yet. She just wanted to know that no matter what happened, how badly she acted, James would be there with a smile and open arms, ready to take her in and make everything better again.

Realizing that she had put that much faith into another was intimidating. Lily wondered if she had learned to be this trusting in someone by weakness of by strength. Had she just become too much for her own body to handle that she needed someone else to help ease the weight. Or had she been so confident that she knew, whoever she let in would not leave her a wreck if they ever left. She was valuable, she was strong. She was everything to another, they could be everything to her.

James muttered reassurances in her ear. It would all be okay, he didn't mind helping out, he should have thought first. He rubbed circles into her back with strong hands, stroking her hair every so often.

Everything was going to be fine.

And Lily believed him. She saw right through everything she had thought before, and knew that James was right. Everything was going to be fine, so long as he was there to help her, to hold her.

- X -

"So people were gossiping about you and her, and you want me to help eliminate all blabber-mouths?" Sirius asked James with unbridled amusement showing in his face. This was unusual, James usually encouraged the rumours, as if hoping the impression that him and Lily were going out would make it the truth.

"Yes. At any cost. They must be stopped!"

"James, you sound like a muggle super-hero..." Remus supplied from behind a book, having immediately declared himself neutral on James and Sirius's conversation the minute they had came barreling in.

"I know! It's wonderful! I was reading this magazine called a ko-mick. Peter showed one to me! They're amazing! Except the pictures don't-"

"Yes, yes. Enough about the super-heroes," Sirius cut in, shaking his head and wondering why Peter had ever shown James the stupid comic. "How am I meant to get rid of the gossipers, Prongs?"

The questions left James dumb-founded. He had never thought of that. Normally he came up with the ultimate plan and the rest of the Marauders worked out the nitty-gritty bits.

"I don't know," James stuttered. "You'll think of something... Creative to do to them..."

Sirius smirked, filled with pure mischief, ideas racing through his head.

Remus looked up, noting the look his best friend's face and knowing that something bad would befall all those who spoke ill of James and Lily.

"Pads?" he called.

"Yeah Moony?" Sirius looked at Remus, his eyes were shadowed and his skin was pale. It was coming up to full moon, the stress of pulling them out of trouble would only make things harder to get through.

"Don't go over-board."

With a sagely nod, Sirius left the room, intent on fulfilling at least part of his goal before dinner. James turned to Remus and inclined his head, but said nothing. He was met with a sheepish look and then the top of a sandy blond head. He was just looking out for them, for all of them.

This is what made them the Marauders, the everlasting, unwavering loyalty and caring for each other. There was nothing girly or sappy about it, they loved each other like brothers, that would never change.

James smiled to himself and walked out too, maybe Peter would go down to the kitchens with him.

i just realized, while writing this chapter, that i had yet to include the marauders in my story! ive thought about it before... but it was more about lily's pov... so i put it off. tho this came to me, and it was time for them to come in:D reviews are love ppl. cookies & ice-cream for all those wonderful, amazing, beautiful people who give reviews. and of course, many compliments... (if i remember :P)