A/N: YAY!! New chapter!! I know what you're thinking, "Its about time. What, was she mauled by a hippogriff?" And the truth is, no I was not mauled by a hippogriff so there really is no excuse as to why it took me this long to get this chapter up. But my lateness aside, this was a fun chapter to write and I hope you enjoy it. This chapter is one of the very good reasons that this story is RATED M! Other than that…Enjoy!

Lily woke up a bit after nine in James's arms, not realizing she'd fallen asleep. She was a bit disoriented and unsure of where she was at first, but then she realized that she was still in the hospital with James. He was still asleep. She smiled and pushed a bit of hair out of his eyes, listening to his deep breathing. He really did look like an angel when he slept. 'A strong, sexy angel,' she thought to herself. James mumbled something and stretched slightly, before gathering Lily tightly in his arms again, like a child with a favorite stuffed animal.

"Do I have to get up?" he asked, eyes still closed. He grinned slightly and nuzzled into the crook of her shoulder. Lily chuckled as James pulled her close to him.

"In a few minutes, yes, you do," she said, a bit disappointed herself. "How about I give you another...twenty minutes?" Lily said, raising her eyebrows slyly at him.

James was somewhat startled by Lily's rather forward comment. They were both almost too tired to move, much less... He seemed to consider this for a moment then nuzzled further into the crook of her neck.

"I don't think so, Lils. I'm too sore for another twenty minutes. I might just have to get up now," he said; his voice muffled by Lily's skin.

"I was just teasing you," Lily said, chuckling again and sighing contentedly as James nuzzled further into the crook of her neck. She giggled. "James! That tickles!!"

"What?" James asked with feigned innocence as he put his lips on Lily's neck and blew gently. Lily laughed and squirmed in his arms.

"James! Stop that! Ah!"

James grinned and bit lightly at Lily's neck as she began to squirm. Then, as she squirmed against his stomach, James winced and pulled quickly away. The large bruise on his stomach, although much better than the day before, still made absolutely certain that James remembered its existence. Lily gasped.

"Oh my gosh, James, I'm so sorry!" Lily apologized, pulling away and putting a hand over her mouth. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," James reassured her as he stretched out on his back; as this seemed to relieve some of the pressure on his bruised abdomen. "What a mess...," he muttered more to himself than to Lily. "I'm just glad that it was me and not you," he told Lily earnestly, resting a hand gently on her stomach.

"I suppose I would have to say the same, but not for my sake," she agreed quietly. "I can take care of the rest of that for you now, if you want. I couldn't do it last night for, well, obvious reasons..."

"Please," James interjected eagerly, feeling as though his bones were probably bruised. "Then we have some work to do..." he trailed off, still strangely focused on her stomach, part of him delighted and part of him terrified by the life growing there.

Lily sighed and reluctantly rolled out of James's arms and the bed and retrieved her wand. She used an X-ray charm.

"You've only got a few bruised ribs. Nothing I can't cure." She put her wand back in her pocket and waved her right hand over his stomach.

James sighed in relief as most of the dull ache in his stomach and chest dissipated. "Good," he said, standing up and taking stock of his body while he stretched sore limbs. When he was satisfactorily stretched out he turned to Lily and pulled her into his arms.

"Thank you, sweatheart," James murmured, kissing Lily tenderly. Lily smiled up at him.

"Anything for my stag," she replied, standing on tiptoe and giving him an eskimo kiss. Then, she realized that he was shirtless and that she was well... She turned red as she realized that James still had her unmentionables in his pocket.

"Er, James?" she asked looking up at him, still pink in the face. "Could I have my panties back please?"

James heaved a fake sigh and produced the aforementioned garment, winking amusedly at Lily. "If you insist," he muttered in pretend disappointment.

Lily took them from him and stood on tiptoe again and kissed him lightly. "Don't worry, you can watch me take them off again later," she whispered in his ear, before slipping out of his arms.

James closed his eyes, savoring the thought for a moment before uttering a noise of approval. He knew that he should be planning his next move in the mission right now, but Lily could be so damned distracting sometimes. He wondered momentarily if that had not been an ulterior motive for making them partners, but he quickly pushed the thought away. Lily smiled coyly at James upon hearing him make a contented sound, before pulling the curtain that separated the room for privacy. After putting her underwear back on, she reemerged and cleared the small table of her potions and cauldron.

James stood there for several minutes thinking deeply about what their next move would be. Voldemort would be fairly sure that he, James, was dead, and James wondered if maybe they should use that to their advantage. He also wondered how long he could pretend to be dead without anyone finding out the truth.

"Hey, Lils," he called after considering this for a moment, "What do you think of the fact that Voldemort most likely believes that I am dead? Gruesomely dead, I might add."

Lily stopped wiping the table down with a conjured rag and looked up at James, startled. He was right. They were the only two who knew that James was still alive. She had not thought of that.

"I'm not sure..." Lily replied thoughtfully. There were an awful lot of reasons for him to use it to his advantage, but there were an awful lot of downsides that went along with it.

"I need to find out who the victim was and who might be next, and this is the perfect opportunity to be able to move freely through many city's...er...darker sides," he finished, avoiding eye-contact.

"Of course," James added quickly, "I would try not to take too long, because until we tell everyone that I am, in fact, still alive, we cannot be seen together, and I cannot be seen at all." James bit his lower lip, thinking hard about the consequences that followed his actions. It would kill him to lie to the world like this. To let his parents, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, not to mention every other significant person in his life, believe that he had died a horrible death. The more he thought about it, however, the more James, as a specially trained auror, could not pass up this golden opportunity to move freely around the wizarding world without suspicion.

Lily grimaced. A grieving widow was a part she did not want to have to play, but if it meant finding out who their victim was and who the next victim might be... Lily sighed.

"I guess it would be for the best. But...but please, use disguising charms, and your cloak," she said reluctantly as she made the rag vanish. "But we can't tell Sirius? Or Remus or Peter?" Lily asked, almost pleadingly. It would feel so...wrong. At least it wasn't permanent.

"I really would rather we kept this just between the two of us..." James began, mulling the possibilities over in his mind. "I'll try not to take more than a week or so at the most."

"Well, promise me you'll come home tonight. Just tonight," Lily said, walking over to James, looking pleadingly into his eyes. Just one more night with him would be a comfort.

James cupped Lily's cheek in his hand, and kissed her thoroughly. He could not deny Lily's request, not with the desperate look that lingered behind her eyes.

"You're sure you're okay with this?" he questioned, wondering if Lily was up for the emotional stress that his plan required her to endure.

Lily bit her lower lip and nodded slowly as her emerald eyes met James's warm hazel ones. She put her arms around him, not wanting to let go, but knowing she had to. She pulled back.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked. "Because you need to go there before someone comes in here."

"I'll probably go to the Shrieking Shack and wait until nightfall. Then I'll come home, collect the things that I need, and find a more secure place to stay until all of this business is finished," James replied, kissing Lily lightly on the forehead. "I need you to make the report to Barrington, too. Don't tell him that I'm alive either. I trust him, but rule number one of undercover missions: the fewer people know, the better the chances of success."

"Alright." Lily hugged him close for a moment, and then pulled away. "Go," she said. "Before someone finds you here."

James nodded before apparating silently from the room. He found himself in one of the rooms of the Shrieking Shack. It had been deserted since the end of their seventh year at Hogwarts, and a thick layer of dust coated everything. James walked over to the bed that sat glumly in one corner of the room, and after uttering a cleaning charm, lay silently on the bed to think through what he was about to do.

Lily sighed heavily and rubbed her temples lightly with slender fingers. It had been a long, long day, one of the longest of her life. She had told Barrington, in tears, that James had been killed, but luckily, she was able to manage being too upset to answer his questions about James's "body". Having been pressed for time, Lily had simply conjured what she imagined James's inside out body would look like. The process had nearly made her physically ill, but being the well trained healer she was, Lily had dealt with it. The fake body would not hold up under extreme testing or attempts at identification, but they didn't need it that long.

Lily then dealt with Sirius and Remus, telling them she did not want to talk about it right then when their heads had popped into her fireplace. She shut the front door of her and James's home behind her. It was only nine thirty. She stared impatiently at the clock, waiting for him. He'd promised, without words, that he'd be there.

After waiting and watching the rays of light that came through the wooden slats over the windows grow longer and longer then finally extinguish themselves, James got to his feet. Something had been whispering in his mind all day that something bad was going to happen through this deception, and he was eager to finish what he had to do as quickly as possible, but he had promised to go home, if only for a couple of hours that night. Concentrating hard on a face that would soon form over his features, James took a deep breath. As he exhaled, James muttered a very complicated illusion spell and his features slowly began to re-arrange themselves into those of some unknown individual, who may or may not have existed.

Once he was sure that his disguise was in place, James apparated to the corner of their quiet street. Keeping to the shadows, he made his way to the modest home that he and Lily loved more and more with each passing day.

"Alohamora," James muttered, in a voice that was unfamiliar to him. After muttering the alohamora charm, James also completed a series of complicated wand movements over the door. There was a quiet click as the door unlocked, and stepping inside, James locked it safely back.

Lily jumped up. A man she had never seen before had just entered her home. Her wand was out and pointed at his heart before he could take another step.

"Who are you?" she asked coldly, her wand arm stock-still.

James closed his eyes and took another deep breath. As he let it go, this time his own face and body appeared through what had been, admittedly a rather scraggily and frightening disguise.

"It's just me," he said quietly, his own voice strangely comforting in his ears. There were times when he really hated disguising himself. Times when he found himself irrationally afraid that he, him, his body, would be lost forever.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, but her wand only lowered a few inches.

"Wait, how do I know you really are James?" she asked. The question that they had made to identify each other with spilled from her slightly trembling lips.

"Where was…was the first place we made love?" she asked, going a bit pink.

James took a step forward, closing the distance between them and grabbing Lily's wand hand firmly. He moved the wand to the side allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist and press their bodies closely together.

"The Room of Requirements," James replied in a deep, quiet voice. "What is my pet name for you?" he asked, in the same low voice.

"I'm your fawn," breathed Lily, smiling and turning an even deeper shade of pink, although her eyes were following his lips as they formed the question.

"Yes you are," James agreed huskily, guiding Lily's arm, that he still had a tight hold on, over his shoulder, to wrap around his neck. He pressed his lips to hers, softly and seductively at first, but with increasing insistence.

Lily kissed him desperately. Her arm around James's neck, she dropped her wand and let her hand travel up into his unruly raven hair, pulling him closer to her. She needed him here with her. Just knowing that James would not be there for days made Lily's heart ache.

James moved his hands deliberately over Lily's body, delighting in her familiar curves. Sliding his hand down her back and over her full, round derrière, he lifted her off of the floor and stumbled toward the bedroom as Lily wrapped her legs around his waist, and they continued to kiss each other heatedly.

Lily moaned into James's mouth as he ran his hands over her body. She stumbled slightly as her feet hit the floor rather forcefully once they were back in the bedroom. She pulled away and backed a meter or so away from him, an eyebrow arched suggestively. James took one long stride, and pressed his body against Lily's again, kissing her forcefully. The momentum from the force with which their bodies met continued. They made a graceful arc as they both lost their balance and fell over, landing on the bed.

Lily was caught off guard by James's forwardness, and was rendered momentarily breathless as James landed on top of her, but her lips never left his. Lily murmured something incoherent against James's mouth as he began unbuttoning her shirt. She ran her hands down the back of his neck, her fingers making little circular patterns as they went.

"Hm?" James muttered, kissing down Lily's jaw-line as he finished removing the clothing on her upper body and headed for the clasp on her pants.

"You know, I never did actually put those underwear back on..." she muttered breathily as James pressed delicious kisses down her neck.

James stopped and looked at her quizzically for a moment before smiling appreciatively at her and pressing his lips to her jaw-line again. Inwardly thinking that he might have to keep a closer eye on Lily in the future…

Lily ran her tongue along her lips in anticipation as James continued down her jaw-line to the sensitive flesh beneath her ear. She wrapped her arms around his neck and purred contentedly as James kissed and lightly bit at the sweet spot below her ear.

James moaned and continued kissing his way down Lily's neck and collar bone. His pants had become exceedingly constricting and he was eager to lay there with nothing between himself and Lily.

Lily let her hands wander down James wiry and toned, although still clothed, chest, and found the button fastening his waistband closed. She hastily unbuttoned it. She wanted him so badly it made her head spin. She jumped and made a startled high-pitched sound as James hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck.

James growled contentedly as Lily started and he lingered over the spot on her neck, sucking lightly on it. He moaned quietly as he felt her hands working frantically to free him from his horribly confining garments. While Lily was fumbling with his waistband he went back to work on her pants and was sliding them down her legs in a matter of moments.

True to her word, Lily had not replaced her underwear. James made a noise of intense desire and moved his lips up along Lily's jaw-line and closer to her ear.

"Oh, Lils," he whispered, his voice deep and tinged with lust.

"Mmm.." Lily sighed. She finally managed to unbutton James's pants. She sat up slightly in order to remove them completely, since he was so much taller than her. Running her hands up the sides of his body, she caught the hem of his shirt and lifted it off over his head, letting her hands roam over the newly exposed skin.

After quickly and easily slipping out of the only remaining garment between them, James pressed his body eagerly against Lily's, shivering at the electricity that seemed to pass between them. He groaned as the feeling of their bare skin meeting and brushing lightly together, sent ripples of pleasure up his spine.

"My fawn.." he mouthed, the words barely audible.

Lily felt a surge of pleasure as James let out a moan. She sighed contentedly as he barely murmured his name for her, the name he used on only their rarest, and most gentle, of love making occasions.

When Lily met James's lips again, she could have sworn that sparks flew from them. James let out a pleasurable sigh and moved his hands down Lily's sides to rest on her hips. Her skin seemed to tingle under his touch and their kisses felt as though they were sending sparks back and forth to one another.

"Let me have you, Lily" James said in a deep, husky voice, only partially asking her for permission.

"Yes! Make love to me, James," Lily breathed, sighing as her lips met his, arching her body to meet him. James possessively dug his fingertips into her hips. He broke their kiss and let his forehead rest on Lily's as he gently pushed forward into her open legs, watching the blissful expression that filled her features. Lily arched her back ever so slightly as James moved smoothly forward and their bodies locked together in a natural and seemingly fluid way. Lily could not move much at all for the moment, as James's hands held her hips surprisingly still and pinned to the bed.

James held Lily very still for several moments, letting all of their attention focus on where their bodies met. Lily shuddered and whimpered at the overwhelming sensation but frustrating lack of movement. James trailed kisses down Lily's neck, teasing her. And while their initial contact was wonderful, it did nothing to quench his desire.

"James….please," Lily panted almost inaudibly, trying without success to rock her hips forward. James grinned against Lily's neck as he slowly began to establish a rhythm between their bodies.

"Lily," he breathed letting her name roll off of his tongue and hang in the air between them as absolutely nothing else could. Lily moaned as he slid into her, creating that unearthly friction between them and fueling her passion. She let her hands glide down his back, contouring to every curve of his body, the heat of his skin searing into her own body. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, letting her body swim in the wonderful feeling he was evoking in her.

James moved his right hand around to cup Lily's neck at the base of her skull and let his left hand stray, his fingertips lightly caressing Lily's side, shoulder, arm, any section of skin within its reach. He lowered his torso, his head mere inches from drawing even with Lily's as she closed her eyes and let her head fall back on the pillows, making it so that Lily's chin was almost resting on his shoulder. Lily whimpered and rested her hands on his shoulders. His slow movements were driving her crazy. She pressed her lips to his collarbone, trailed them down his shoulder, and back up his neck, relishing the taste of his skin.

James shivered at the sensation of Lily's lips moving over his skin and taking her unspoken encouragement, began to move faster, small pleasurable noises deep in his throat with every thrust.

Lily could hear her moans mingling with the noises James was making, could taste the salt on his skin, feel him moving in time with her, within her, and took in his wonderful scent, her breathing labored under the exertion of their bodies. Her senses were filled with him, and only him, and knowing this sent little shockwaves of pleasure through her body, coupling with the wonderful sensation that James was causing to build within her.

The sounds of their bodies moving together, their breathing, their moans; James felt his body tense more and more with each thrust under the plethora of other senses that bombarded him. The feeling of Lily all around him, their bodies melded together and moving as a molten liquid, the smell of Lily's hair, her skin, made James grow increasingly lightheaded as he continued to rock forward faster and faster.

Lily moaned loudly as James hit a rather sensitive spot within her, tightening her grip on James's shoulders and instinctively opening her legs a bit wider. That was incredible! If she moved a little to the...

"Oh!" she cried out, as the pleasure and tension increased tenfold. James groaned loudly as Lily shifted, presumably pursuing a sensitive spot. A bolt of pleasure shot through his abdomen as Lily cried out, and the tension that was slowly mounting began to increase more quickly. James continued to move smoothly and quickly, driving himself deep within her only to pull back slightly and do it again. His movements created an almost unbearable friction between their bodies, and James found himself gasping for breath through waves of pleasure.

James drove into her over and over, into that one spot that was making her mind explode into little rivulets of pleasure that coursed themselves through her veins and into her entire body. But it was getting too intense. She couldn't take it anymore. Her body was willing her over the edge, and finally, she relented, letting the pleasure crash over her, crying out in intense pleasure.

James felt Lily tense around him, and the sound of her crying out in pleasure was making him crazy. He continued to push forward over and over, deeper and deeper until finally the tension and raw pleasure became too much. With Lily's cries ringing in his ears, James felt himself lose control, and he too cried out in pleasure as the wonderful sensation wracked his body.

Lily whimpered as she felt him tense within her, all coherent thought totally lost to memory. Breathing heavily, she rested her chin on James shoulder, totally spent, trying to make the world stop spinning as James's body relaxed on top of her. Instead of rolling over to lie beside her, he simply continued to lay on her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

James let out a long, low groan of pleasure as his mind finally began to clear. He lay there for sometime, Lily's chin against his right shoulder, their bodies still pressed together in a passionate, lovers embrace. He let his head rest beside Lily's on her pillow, his face turned away, thinking.

James thought about how much he loved this woman, who willing shared her body and soul with him on countless occasions; who was loving, caring and kind even when her temper threatened to show through; who, at not even twenty years old, was gladly carrying his child. He was thinking about all that they had been through in such a short amount of time, and everything that he was about to put her through.

Lily lay there with her eyes closed, idly stroking James's hair, feeling his heart beating against her chest. He was the love of her life. Tears fell from her eyes as she realized the implications of their situation. They were deceiving their closest friends, putting themselves in a very dangerous situation. She held him close, never wanting to let him go, but knowing that she had to.

After several more minutes of simply enjoying each other's embrace, James sighed disappointedly and gently disentangled himself from Lily's hold. Tonight she seemed more reluctant than usual to let go of him. Once their bodies were separate and once again their own, James turned to face Lily. His fingers traced the outline of her face as he watched her, not even trying to hide the sad, grim look that spread over his own features.

"Please... please stay, just for a little while..." Lily whispered, closing her eyes and hiding her face against his chest, trying to take in as much of him as she could before he had to go.

James nodded, silently acquiescing to her request, and gathered Lily tightly in his arms. "I just need to make sure I'm gone before dawn."

"I know," said Lily heavily, closing her eyes again and allowing herself to sink into James's firm embrace. Several quiet minutes passed and then, unable to ignore his growing sense of guilt any long, James lifted Lily's chin up so that he could look her in the eye. Lily opened her eyes sleepily, but returned his intense hazel gaze with her own emerald one. He lightly trailing his fingers over her lips and kissed her gently.

"I'm sorry, Lily," James murmured.

"For what? Making love to me?" Lily asked, smiling gently and chuckling. She kissed James on the tip of his nose. As far as Lily was concerned, there was nothing for him to apologize for. The next few hours went by much too quickly. It seemed like only moments had passed when James finally and reluctantly got up. She did as well, pulling on a more conservative nightdress and robe, and sliding on her slippers.

They had shared a sleepless night. After their love-making, the couple had simply held each other, occasionally whispering loving words to or gently caressing the other. They did not sleep however, and as the clock on Lily's nightstand clicked onto the four o'clock hour, James had decided it was time to get his things together and go.

James sighed and made his way into the bathroom where he showered quickly. He was not sure when he might get a chance to shower again and he took advantage of the luxury. Coming back into the bedroom, James got dressed. He chose practical black slacks and a black button up shirt to go under a black work robe. Often he would glance over at Lily as he went about his business, knowing that she was watching everything he did. James avoided her gaze however, as he went to the closet and got out a small suitcase. He began packing several changes of clothes as well as an assortment of other sundry items and a few more obscure magical items.

Finally, James was ready to leave. It had seemed to take days to pack, though it had really taken a little less than an hour. James sighed and picked up his suitcase, turning to face Lily.

Lily fought back the tears that were threatening to fall again as she and James walked out of the bedroom and into the hallway together in silence. She smiled to herself. He was so brave, and so wonderful. And he needed to do this. She opened the door for him, her eyes fixed on his face.

James smiled at her, grateful for her strength. If at this moment she had asked him to stay, he was not at all sure that he could turn her down.

"I love you, Lily. I'll be back in a few days," he said quietly, before leaning in to kiss her.

Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips forcefully, kissing him desperately, trying to give him one last piece of her before he left. A single tear left her eye and rolled down her cheek. Neither of them noticed.

James gently pulled away from Lily's kiss, and brushed away the tears that coursed silently down her cheeks. Then, gathering every modicum of concentration he could muster, James changed his appearance to that of the man who had entered the small house only a few hours previously.

"Bye, love," James mouthed, and, after glancing around, he apparated.

Lily gave him a watery smile before he vanished silently. The air where James had been standing smelled faintly of him for a second longer, and then all traces of him were gone. She stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where he had vanished. He was really gone. And now, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, he was dead. Dead.

He could not believe the news. James, dead? How could that be?! No one was saying anything about the details, but the story seemed to be that he was murdered with a very nasty curse. That was all that Sirius, Peter, or Remus had been able to learn from anyone. Remus had just returned from an errand for Dumbledore when he heard the news, and even though it was barely 5 o'clock in the morning, Remus knew that Lily would be awake and he knew that she would need all the comfort she could get.

So, intending to lend a friendly and likewise grief-stricken shoulder to cry on, Remus had set out for the small home his friends had shared. He apparated to a spot a little ways down the street, and made his way slowly toward the small house. His footsteps echoed coldly on the pavement and tears flowed down his cheeks, though he continually brushed them roughly away. 'I have to be strong for Lily,' he thought, knowing that she was a wreck and that she needed her friends.

Once he had received the news and planned to go see Lily, Remus had hoped that Sirius might be there already. But he had soon discovered that Sirius's grief was too much to share with his friends yet. Sirius had instead decided to drink himself into a stupor. Remus made a mental note to check up on his friend later. At the very least, Peter should have been at the Potter's small home, Remus reflected, trying to think if he had heard from Peter since receiving the news.

Remus drew level with the house and was about to cross the street into the yard. Then, something totally unexpected happened...

The door to the house swung open to reveal Lily, in her dressing gown, and a tall man, wearing all black, whose face was in the shadows. Remus froze. He backed slowly into the shadows cast by the two houses nearly directly across the street from Lily's front door. Remus stood there at a complete loss for what to think, and the bottom seemed to drop out of his stomach as he witnessed Lily wrapping her arms around the mans neck and kissing him as though he were the love of her life.

Remus swallowed hard, a painful pressure building on his chest. He could not remember the number of times he had seen Lily kiss James that way, and his mind screamed at him that he could not possibly be seeing what he was seeing; that it did not mean what he thought it meant. But no matter how he tried to reason with himself, no explanation but one presented itself, and Remus did not like that explanation.

The man in black turned his head, glancing up and down the street, and Remus felt his throat tighten. The man was older, probably in his mid to late thirties. He had dark eyes and dark brown hair that grew to his shoulders, but was tied neatly back, as well as stubble forming over his chin and upper lip. Remus did not know him; did not want to know him. He wished that he could erase the memory of the man, but knew that it was impossible.

Then a new emotion overcame him. Remus found himself truly angry at Lily for the first time in his life. How could she be kissing that man just hours after James…? A part of Remus's mind screamed at him that there HAD to be a reasonable explanation, but he felt too betrayed to listen. Throwing caution and manners to the wind, Remus stepped out of the shadows and had come to the front door of the quaint little house in moments.

He knocked briskly, trying to suppress all of the mean and angry thoughts that were spreading through him like poison.

A/N: Oh yeah, please review:-D