Chapter 11

July 19th

James and Lily walked side by side in silence. They had not spoken since yesterday and refused to even turn their heads in the other's direction. Lily, who could stand the silence no longer, asked James the question she had been dying to get an answer to.

"How'd you get it?" her head remained forward but her eyes glance sideways to see the reaction.

On the contrary, his face remained blank, "I beg your pardon?"

"The money." Lily said impatiently. "How did you get they money? You didn't steal it right?"

"Thanks for having so much faith in me." James said sarcastically though he said nothing further, not even address her question.

As they walked the two swords on James's belt hit into each other. Lily has assumed the second sword was fir the help in case there was a struggle. After all, as Remus told her; two swords are better than one. She was, however wrong. The second sword was not for James.

He pulled her into a deserted side street and took out both swords. Their cold shoulder attitude towards each other had to stop now otherwise they wouldn't survive. They needed to do this together, just like he promised. James flipped the other sword so the handle was on Lily's side with his left hand and held his own in his right.

"I brought you a sword. Can you use it?" He said in his low, captain's voice.

Lily hesitantly grasped the handle, taking the blade from James. She nodded though James wanted to make sure se really knew how, properly. He raised his sword to Lily, indicating for her to strike. And she did. They fought expertly until the blades crossed. Unknowingly to them, the blades had locked and when they pulled back, they both were forced forward, their bodies against each other and their faces inches away above the V of the X from the blades. They fidgeted from the tension and looked away embarrassedly making a point to not look in each other's eyes in fear of losing track of time. They stepped apart, withdrawing their swords.

"How'd they lock like that?" Lily asked, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at James.

"I have no idea." There was a pause. "Listen, we need to get to the Red Robin."

Lily nodded franticly, shaking herself from her thoughts. "Of course. Let-Let's go."

They continued on.

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"Hello?" Lily called into the dark room. It was the same room they were in before. A woman's voice sounded from the corner, scared and weak. "Lily?"

Lily's heart ached at the sound of her mother's voice. "Mum?"

"Honey, I missed you…where are you?"

Tears filled Lily's eyes. "I'm right here." Lily walked towards the sound when James grabbed her upper arm, his eyes wide with concern.

"Don't," he whispered harshly.

"Lily I need you!"

"James that's my mum!"

"Lily stay!" James told her firmly.

Lily looked at James like he'd gone mad. "But…"

"Lily, no." He was moving his head slowly from side to side, looking around the darkness of the room.

"Your father's here too sweetie. They captured us both."

"Dad?" Lily called though she didn't get a response.

"Something's not right." James said in a deep, cautious voice. He backed up slightly, his hand still grasping Lily's arm, pulling her with him.

"Lily, help us!" Lady Evans shouted. The tears started to rolls down Lily's cheeks.

"Lily, listen to me, they're not-."

But Lily screamed. "But my Parents!"

"Lily!" Her mother screamed hysterically.

"James, please!"

"Lily, don't try it!"

"LILY HELP ME!"

"Mum!" She broke out of James's grip and ran towards the voice of her mother.

"Lily, NO!"

Before Lily knew what had gone wrong, torches were lit all simultaneously, in a circle around the room by all the guards against the wall. Lily had never been so frightened, she saw her mother, being held, with her father who had his mouth covered; they had pistols pointed to their heads. A man grasped Lily's arm painfully tight and slapped a hand covering her mouth, making it hard to breathe.

James flew into action and punched the man in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. His hand, the one covering her mouth, released but her arm remained in his grasp. With quick thinking, Lily withdrew the sword James gave her and slashed it. There was a sickening slicing sound, the man's yell of pain and a thud. She hesitantly opened her eyes and saw, to her horror and disgust; she had chopped the man's hand off.

James took the sword from her carefully and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. He did what, he thought felt most natural. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her red curls soothingly. "How touching. Playing the hero again, Potter?"

Lily pulled away from James and he glared at Riddle. "Let them go, Riddle, this has nothing to do with them."

Tom Riddle smiled unpleasantly. "On the contrary, Potter, it has everything to do with them. They have a direct connection with your little girlfriend over there." At the word girlfriend, Lily's parents' eyes grew wide with shock and…fear?

Riddle moved more into the light provided by the torches and the guards restrained both Lily and James, dragging them farther apart but making them face one another. "I have a little test for you now, Potter." He withdrew his pistol and the guard let go of Lily. "On your knees, Miss Evans." Commanded Riddle. Lily stood there defiantly staring at James. He pleaded with her.

"Lily, do it." James told her.

She shook her head. "I'll ask once more, nicely. On your knees!" Lily didn't budge. Riddle's teeth were barred in frustration. He growled and kicked Lily in the side, causing her to fall to the ground in pain.

James struggled to get free. When he got his hands on Riddle… "You son of a b-."

"Shut up Potter! Unless you want her parents to be shot."

James's nostrils flared angrily but kept his mouth shut, still glowering all the while at the man who had already caused him so much pain.

"Now, Potter, the test. One question. If your answer's not good enough, you fail. If you fail." He raised his pistol to Lily's head. "She dies."

James's face paled but his expression hadn't changed. Lily's parents fidgeted and grunted but the guards shut them up. One of the perks of being a pirate; good poker face.

"Ask away." Growled James.

Riddle pressed the barrel of the gun to Lily's temple. "Do you love her?"

The question caught both James and Lily off guard. "What?"

Riddle repeated, louder this time. "Do you love her?"

Lily squirmed slightly, looking at James with teary eyes, knowing he did not. "Don't answer James."

"Shut that whole in your face!" Riddle yelled.

"James…"

"What did I say?!" Riddle kicked her again and she fell to her back.

"Stop it!" James yelled, becoming slightly desperate.

"Answer the question!" shouted Riddle.

"Just stop it!" He was almost in tears seeing Lily treated this way.

Riddle, in full rage, cocked the gun and aimed it at her. "Answer me! DO YOU LOVE HER!?"

James couldn't take anymore; he cracked and broke down. "Yes! I love her! Yes! Please, just don't hurt her anymore."

The guards let James go and he sunk to his knees, staring at Lily who looked at James with pity and guilt. They stared into each other's eyes from across the room.

"Let the parents go outside and bring him in." Riddle ordered. Lily's parents were dragged outside; Lily watched them go with a heavy heart and a short man walked in.

"Hello David." Riddle said.

"Tom." David Evans's black eyes turned over to Lily. "Lily…"

"Uncle David," Lily whispered. "How could you?"

David couldn't respond. He focused his attention, instead, on the Pirate he had hired. "Has he given you the money?"

Riddle shook his head. "The money, Potter, now."

James stood up defiantly, reached into his pocket and sharply threw the sack at him. His hand closed tightly around his gun but he wouldn't try anything, At least not yet.

Riddle handed David half the money and threw a gun to him. "We had a deal. Now finish it. Start with the girl."

David nervously cocked the pistol and pointed it with a shaking hand, sweat dripping down his forehead. James was not afraid for he encountered a lot of people and could see right through them. In David's, James saw he could not do it. David exhaled sharply and lowered the gun. "Tom, I can't."

"You can!"

"No…. I-I can't"

"You coward," spat Riddle. He roughly took the gun from David, pointed it at him and pulled the trigger. David's face grew instantly pale and he looked directly at Lily.

"I-I'm so sorry Lily." His eye rolled back into his head and fell forward into a pool of blood.

"Now, my dear." Riddle said. Lily glanced sideways at James who muttered so Riddle couldn't hear.

"Duck,"

"Say goodbye-."

"When I say 'now'…"

"-to life." Riddle continued. He once again cocked the pistol and pulled the trigger.

"Now!" Lily dropped to the floor in time to miss the bullet that hit one of the two guars that were left. In the midst of the confusion, Riddle did not see James running towards him. He was knocked over and James pinned him to the ground, Lily taking Riddle's pistol. She pointed it at the last man there that was coming towards her. Before she could raise the gun, however, a shot rang out in the room. The man fell, revealing behind him Remus Lupin with his gun raised and smoking. They smiled at each other as Sirius ran in, shouting.

"In here, mates!" James and Sirius grinned at each other.

James told him, relieved. "We got him."

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Curly and Smythe, the two who were not wanted, took Riddle to the police and turned him in. The best part was, James got him to tell the truth and the Potter family name was cleared. The wanted posters were taken down and James was allowed to sail the seas as a free man. The only problem was getting a ship.

Lily, after the tearful reunion with her parent, asked them about James. "He is a murderer, Lily!" Shrieked her mother. Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What?! How can you say that? He saved your lives! Hell, he saved mine, more than once."

"That does not change who he is! And you better fix your attitude and language young lady!" said her father. "Now go inside the Inn (not the Red Robin) and I don't want you to see him ever again."

Lily's heart broke into a thousand pieces as she wiped away her tears. She shook her head. "I must say goodbye." And she ran as fast as she could.

She went as far as the docks, confused when she didn't see the Charlotte anywhere. "Oh god, what if they're gone?" She whispered to herself.

"Nope still here." A deep voice, the voice she'd grown very fond of, said from behind her. Lily's eyes lit up and she turn to face James Potter.

"What happened to the Charlotte?"

James grew uneasy. "You know the money?"

"Yeah-."

James laughed. "Again with that mouth of yours."

Lily smiled. "You know you like my mouth."

James raised his eyebrows. "Look at Miss Evans! You little conceited-"

"Stop changing the subject. What does the money have to-" She gasped, "James, you didn't. You couldn't!"

"I had to."

She walked to him and gave him a powerful, much needed hug. The warm wind blowing, the afternoon sun shining down on them. "Thank you." Lily whispered to him. "Thank you for everything." James just nodded. "Where are you staying now?" She asked, still not letting go.

"The crew and I are in these chains of houses here. Some of us will work to earn more money to buy a new ship. My place is on the water…"

They stood there, together for a while until Lily pulled away. "Do you love me?"

James gazed into Lily's eyes and knew what his answer was. He didn't like to lie but it was better this way, for both of them. "I-no- I don't. I-I only said it so he would-you know-would stop."

Lily smiled sadly. "Pest..."

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A/N: One more chapter left...

But do not fear! Greekchic and I will supply you Marauder and Lily awesomeness very soon!

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