Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground – Part 1

The pilot's painfully cheery voice over the plane's loudspeakers roused Lily Potter from a fitful sleep with the announcement that the British flight would soon be landing in Raleigh. With a groan the redhead flipped up the shutter of the window she was seated next to and grimaced at the clouds glowing with the light of a beautiful sunset.

"It's not right," remarked a quavering voice on her right and Lily glanced at her travel companion sadly; "The sky should not look that pretty right now. In the movies it always rains at funerals, I need the freaking symbolism." With that Jessica Parker jabbed a button on her in-flight entertainment screen and yanked off her headphones. "I can't believe this is happening, it's just…unreal."

"Did you sleep at all?" Lily asked, squeezing her friend's shaking fingers sympathetically and Jessica shook her head. "We're almost there, it's either going to feel more real once we arrive or be harder than ever."

"How are you so calm, Lils?" the brunette asked her enviously. She jerked her thumb in the direction of her monitor; "The flight is even showing the very last Harry Potter movie at the moment. It's a brand new release for the last time ever and it can't even keep me distracted. Do you know how much that sucks? I've been looking forward to it for months."

"I'm practicing staying as calm possible because that's what Clay is going to need from me right now," Lily told her softly. "It's a movie, Jess…you can't expect it to eclipse the death of your best friend. The whole thing really, really sucks and that's all there is to it."

"Stop!" Jessica hissed and hunched over gasping just as the plane touched down with a jolt. Lily pressed a soothing hand against her back as the girl covered her eyes with clammy palms. "I bet even Louisa took the news better than this, pathetic I know." The flight attendant bidding them farewell was ignored as the distressed duo left the aircraft. Linking her arm with Jessica's, Lily drifted into thoughts of her sudden departure from England in the face of this tragedy.

The previous day

"Louisa Potter, get back here right this instant," Lily demanded, chasing after her giggling seven year old. The raven-haired girl was the spitting image of her father except for Lily's sparkling emerald eyes, now glinting with an air of mischief. "It's eight o' clock and certain little girls need to be in bed."

"That's no fun, Mummy," Louisa pouted, bouncing down the stairs towards James' study. "I'm going to be eight soon, you know. I think I deserve a later bedtime." James spun his swivel chair around at the commotion, just in time to catch the energetic little girl. "Don't I, Daddy?"

"What's this about?" he laughed, quickly stopping at the half-amused, half-impatient look on Lily's face as she watched the scene from the doorway.

"Your daughter is protesting bedtime," Lily told him, shaking her head in exasperation as Louisa turned a full-blown pleading face on her father. "Don't you dare fall for her tricks, Potter!"

"You're going to get me in trouble too, munchkin," James groaned, tweaking Louisa's nose affectionately to make her laugh. "Listen to your Mum, it's safer for everyone. And I will get that," he announced, nudging his daughter off his knees to answer the phone ringing in the hallway. He could hear the little girl still protesting her defeat all the way back up the stairs and couldn't help but smile as he picked up the receiver; "Hello?"

After kissing Louisa goodnight, Lily stepped back out into the corridor connecting the bedrooms and almost collided with James. It struck her immediately how pale and shocked he looked and she frowned in concern; "What's wrong, babe? You look like you've seen a ghost. Who was it on the phone?"

"Your mother," he said faintly. "She said Sara died a few hours ago."

"What?!" Lily squeaked and her palms pressed flat against the closed door behind her. "How?"

"Doctors said it was an undiagnosed aneurysm apparently," James said softly, but he wasn't looking her in the eye. Following his gaze downwards Lily realized her knees were trembling violently and let him pull her into a soothing hug.

"Did…did you talk to Clay?" she asked finally, when she had managed a deep, steadying breath.

James shook his head grimly; "Your Mum said he's in shock, really can't blame the guy. Sara collapsed in front of him apparently. I quote: Tell Lily her brother needs her," he finished. "God, what a mess."

"I need to go," she said resolutely. "Will you manage Lou on your own for a while?"

"Of course," he said quickly. "As long as it takes, don't worry about us. Are you going to tell her? I can try and find you a flight out tomorrow if you feel ready."

"The sooner the better," Lily said reluctantly. "I love you, you know that?"

James nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead but the look in his eyes remained serious and pained. "Shit, wasn't Jessica in college with Clay and Sara too?" he asked.

"Oh God, you're right," Lily gasped and the devastation she felt must have shown on her face, because he pressed her head against his shoulder comfortingly. "I don't suppose you could take care of telling her too? I'm sure she'll want to say goodbye, they were really close. She'll take it better from you, childhood best friends and all."

"Okay," James agreed. "I'll call Jess right now and try and find you a flight while you tell the kid." He nodded at Louisa's bedroom door and Lily flinched. He squeezed her fingers; "There's no easy way to do this," he reminded her and Lily knew he was right.

Unsurprisingly, Louisa was sitting up in bed when Lily slipped into her bedroom, dimly lit by the pink glow of her Barbie nightlight. "Mummy, what's going on?" she asked, sounding sleepy now in spite of her alert posture. "You don't normally have conversations outside my bedroom door."

"Could you hear?" Lily asked hopefully, deflating when the girl shook her head. "Nana just called with really bad news, honey."

"What happened?" Louisa pressed, and the apprehension made her widened emerald-green eyes pierce the darkness of her bedroom.

Before answering, Lily crossed over to the bed and pulled her daughter into her arms. "When did you get so grown up, kid?"

"Mum, just tell me," Louisa begged, but for once she didn't squirm or pull away, nestling instead against her mother's shoulder.

Lily took a deep breath, looking straight into the carbon copy of her eyes and hating the pain she was about to put in them. "Aunt Sara died today, sweetie," she said gently. Sure enough, at her words Louisa's hopeful expression crumpled. "Lou?" she pressed in concern.

"Are you going to America?" the seven year old asked simply, surprising her mother with how calm she sounded.

"Yeah," she nodded; "Just as soon as your Dad can find me a flight I'll have to go. Uncle Clay needs me right now." She hesitated when Louisa lurched forward and hugged her tightly. "Okay, not that I'm complaining but what was that for?"

"Can you pass it on?" her daughter asked and now her voice was quavering. "I know I can't come with you because of school and stuff…but Aunt Sara was Uncle Clay's favorite person in the whole world. And well, he's mine," she confessed. "So no offense Mum, but that hug wasn't really for you. It was a present, okay?"

"Okay," Lily choked, nodding through a haze of tears. "I did something right with you, little angel."

"Are you going to miss my birthday in two weeks?" Louisa asked and Lily's mouth fell open in dismay at the possibility. "It's okay if you do, just so you know. As long as you promise to give Uncle Clay lots and lots of those hugs, okay? Trust me they work magic. I'll be fine here with Daddy."

"I know you will, lovey," Lily nodded, kissing the top of her daughter's scruffy head. "I love you, my brave girl. Try and go to sleep now, alright? I should go see if Daddy found me a flight, lots to do."

A faint smile crept across Lily's face at the thought of her sweet seven year old and she managed a reassuring tone to Jessica; "You're not pathetic, you're a girl who just lost her best friend. Louisa is lucky she's young; she'll bounce back soon enough. And you know what else?"

"What?" Jessica asked half-heartedly as they approached the baggage claim carousel. Lily pressed the brunette close to her while she kept a watchful eye out for her suitcase, only responding when both their bags had been recovered.

"I know you don't feel like you'll be much help to anyone right now, but I know Clay will be really glad you're here," she said with great conviction. "Come on, let's try and find a taxi now. My Mom sounded absolutely desperate on the phone yesterday."

"Your little brother is a total rockstar, Lils," Jessica pointed out admiringly. "As if I'll make any difference, I remember when Sara's sister died he was all she needed to get through it. I was always a tiny bit jealous of those two, it was amazing to watch."

"You'll make a huge difference, silly," the redhead told her. "Because he may have been Sara's rock through a horrible time but she was his too. And now she's the one going six feet under I seriously doubt he has any rockstar action left to give." Lily glanced dismally out the taxi window when the devastation in Jessica's warm brown eyes became too much to bear. "Hey, there's your symbolic rain," she said instead, pointing at the water trails streaking suddenly across the glass. Her fingers trembled as they pressed against the cool window-pane; "I have to be calm but it's incredibly hard, you know. You're absolutely right; nothing about this situation is fair. Poor little Logan must be so confused."

"Poor baby," Jessica murmured. "I hate to be right about how hard this is going to be, you know. I've been wishing for it to be a bad dream ever since James called me last night." She rubbed her eyes furiously and placed a hand on Lily's shoulder; "But I think you're right about one thing too: Being together right now will make a difference and we'll get through this…all of us, right?"

"That's the spirit," Lily replied with a weak smile. "I think I'll feel better when we get to the house and I can pass on Louisa's present, actually."

"What's the present?" Jess asked curiously. "That girl of yours is the sweetest, honestly."

"She really is," Lily agreed. "When I finally got around to tucking her in last night, I explained what happened and she said she'd be okay with me missing her birthday if I had to. The only condition was giving her Uncle Clay lots of hugs; I envy her faith in how much they'll help to be honest."

"That's incredible," Jessica said fondly, as the taxi slowed to a halt at their destination. She glanced nervously at the house and then back at Lily; "You know what? Maybe I should come by tomorrow," she suggested. "Clay's probably in a total state right now judging from what your Mum said. Don't want to overwhelm him, especially with the baby in the house and all. Tomorrow's a new day, don't you think?"

"Don't chicken out on me, Jess," Lily begged, staring at the dark windows of the house in turn. "That makes sense but you have to come over tomorrow, alright?"

"I'm not, I swear," the brunette insisted. "I didn't fly all the way out here just for the funeral, okay? We're in this together, I promise. I just think he needs you first." Her friend continued to look doubtful but then a light went on in the house and Jessica leaned over to nudge the car door open. "Your Mum is probably waiting, you guys are in for a long night," she pointed out unnecessarily. "I love you Lils, now go! Good luck and make Louisa's hug count from me too, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, I promise."

"I can do hugs, definitely," Lily promised faintly, but she couldn't help trembling with the dreadful anticipation as soon as she climbed out of the car and made her way up the garden path.

Before she even reached the front door it was flung open to reveal Marie Evans, her greying ginger hair a mess and a look of ill-disguised relief on her face. "Oh Lily, you made it," she said, opening her arms wide for a hug. "Thank goodness!"

"I made it," Lily repeated, the scent of her childhood overwhelming her fragile emotions once she was in her mother's embrace. "You weren't worried, were you?"

"I'm your mother, it's my job to worry," Marie said defensively. "I know it's been seven years since your father's freak accident but I just hate that flying is your only way to come home."

"I don't think my being on a plane should be your biggest concern right now," Lily pointed out, attempting to joke but the lump in her throat made it futile. She gazed in the direction of the bedrooms in the distance, straining to hear any signs of life. Clay and Sara's apartment was spread across one floor, bedrooms branching off a hallway past the living room and kitchen area. "Where is he?"

"Probably in the nursery," Marie said sadly, pointing to the bedroom on the left side of the hallway. "He's such a mess but he won't let Logan out of his sight, which only makes the baby more upset. Eight months is old enough to sense that something's not right."

"Did you tell him that you called me?" Lily asked, pushing her suitcase against the wall without letting go of her mother's hand.

"No," Marie confessed. "I'm hoping the surprise of seeing you will snap him out of the shock. He's barely said a word since the paramedics took Sara away, the neighbors heard the ambulance sirens and called me."

"I can't believe this," Lily sighed. "James mentioned it was an undiagnosed aneurysm?"

"Apparently," her mother nodded. "I've been here since I got the call trying to help, can only imagine how devastated her poor parents must be right now."

"Didn't Sara's older sister die a few years ago?" Lily recalled Jessica's story sympathetically, her own memory of the event hazy. "I vaguely remember what a mess she was at graduation, one of the few times I saw that girl cry."

"Exactly," Marie shuddered. "Both daughters dead before the age of thirty, it's unimaginably tragic." She gave her daughter another squeeze; "I'm so glad you're here, sweetheart. Do you want to have a wash or something?"

"Later," said Lily, shaking her head. "Right now I need to go and hug my little brother." She eased her fingers from Marie's grasp and headed in the direction her mother had pointed out, dreading what she would find with every step.

A / N These drabbles are always in chronological order so obviously this one will stay near the end, the doom of Clara. The crossover headcanon continues and ties into flashbacks mentioned in my multi-chapter fic This Time Tomorrow. Enjoy the serious angst to come, with the family support Clay always deserved xx