"You should take a night off," said Lily, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "You've already worked three nights in a row. You owe it to yourself to get some rest."

Remus checked his reflection in the mirror critically. The concealer he had applied hid the shadows under his eyes somewhat, and the hint of eyeliner and lipgloss would draw attention to his eyes and lips, without being too noticeable. He was wearing one of his two good outfits, which he saved for work nights: a slim-fitting shirt, and pants that showed off the shape of his ass.

"I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I want to get this library fine resolved sooner rather than later. I don't want it hanging over my head forever. Besides, I already asked for an extension on one essay. I don't want to ask for more."

"I'm worried about you, Remus," Lily frowned. "If you don't take some time off soon, you're going to make yourself sick."

"I'll take time off around the holidays in December," Remus promised her. "I have two weeks off from classes then."

Lily scowled. "That's more than a month away. You're telling me you're not planning to take even one day off between now and then?"

Remus gave her a tired smile. "We'll see. I'll try. How do I look?"

Lily returned the smile reluctantly. "You look great. Very sexy."

"Thanks." He grinned, wiggling his butt at her.

"You can come back here after to crash, if you want to."

"Maybe," said Remus. "I'll see where I am and how late it is. If I'm nearby, I'll text you to see if you're still awake. Now, get out of here so I can get the rest of me ready."

"OK," said Lily. "I'm going to see if Mom is done with her dinner. Don't forget to come say good night before you head out."

"I will."

He was sitting on the toilet, checking his phone to confirm that the two dates he had made for that night on Grindr were still on, when a sharp, frantic knock came on the bathroom door.

"I'll be out in just a couple more minutes," Remus called.

"Remus?" Lily's voice was high with panic. "Mom's sick. I need to get her to the doctor right away!"

"I'll be right there!" Remus shouted, rushing to clean himself up.

Rose Evans was sitting up in bed, thin chest heaving with every panting breath. Lily sat beside her, a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"She's having heart palpitations again," Lily said urgently. "I've got to find her a ride to the clinic."

Remus nodded. He understood why Lily did not want to call an ambulance: the bill for the ride alone could cost hundreds of dollars that the Evans family could not spare.

"Have you called your dad?"

Lily shook her head. "He's working in Tacoma tonight. It would take him over an hour to find a replacement for his shift, and get home. I don't want to worry him. I've left messages for James and Sev. Neither of them picked up. Could you call Sirius?"

"He'll be working at the library for another hour at least," said Remus, feeling useless. "Can you think of anyone else who has a car?"

"I dunno. Maybe Alice? But I haven't talked to her in ages." Lily patted her mom's shoulder. "It's going to be OK, Mom. We'll find someone who can drive you. Just try to breathe normally."

"Peh-Petunia?" Mrs. Evans gasped.

Lily and Remus exchanged a look.

"I can send her a message on Facebook," Lily said uncertainly, "but I don't know how soon she'll see it. I dunno how else to contact her. Her old number isn't working anymore."

Lily's phone rang, and she and Remus both jumped. Lily fumbled to answer it.

"Hello? James! Oh, thank goodness. Yes ... no ... I mean, it's an emergency, but not like an emergency emergency. If you could come right away, though, that would be great. OK. Thanks. I'll text you the address. OK. OK. See you soon. Thanks. Bye."

She pressed the "end call" button and quickly typed the apartment's address into a text message.

"He says he can be here in fifteen or twenty minutes." She looked slightly less panicked than before.

"Will you be OK until then?" Remus asked Rose.

Lily's mother nodded, pressing her lips together, trying to hold her breath.

"She's had heart palpitations before," said Lily. "The doctor said it's not serious on its own, but with the meds she's on, she needs to get checked right away."

"I'll help you guys get ready to go," Remus offered. He began rummaging in the closet for a warm jacket and pants.

"You don't have to stay, Remus," said Lily. "James is on his way, and I know you have ... plans."

She cast her mother a sidelong look, but Rose's eyes were closed as she concentrated on her breathing. Lily's parents did not know about the work Remus did.

"It's OK," Remus assured her. "I can reschedule. I just want to make sure you guys are all right."

Remus had just finished apologizing to his two clients via text, and arranging different nights with them later in the week, when a knock came at the apartment door. Remus went to answer it so that Lily would not have to leave her mother's side.

"Oh. Hey." James blinked when he saw Remus.

"Hey," said Remus, standing aside to let him in. "Thanks for coming so fast."

James stared around the tiny, cluttered apartment with wide eyes, pushing a hand nervously through his poofy cloud of black hair. Remus wondered how much Lily had told him about where and how she lived.

Rose Evans was now warmly dressed and wearing slippers. Lily helped her stand, supporting her with an arm around her waist, as she performed grim-faced introductions between James and her mother.

"Hi," said James awkwardly. "Sorry to meet you like this, Mrs. Evans. I would have brought my mom - she's a doctor - but she's working at Harborview this evening. I'm sorry I can't remember what she says to do for heart palpitations."

"Just - let's go," said Lily anxiously.

She and James helped Rose to the shiny red BMW, while Remus hung back, making sure the apartment was locked behind them. Lily put Rose in the back seat, so she could sit with her on the way to the urgent care clinic, while Remus wordlessly took the passenger seat beside James. He glanced at James out of the corner of his eye, wondering what he was thinking, and what he would tell Sirius later about what he had seen of Lily's apartment.

When James asked for directions, Remus told him where to go, so that Lily would not have to think about anything but her mother. The clinic was a little over a mile away, but evening traffic complicated matters, stretching the tense drive to nearly fifteen minutes.

Arriving at the clinic, James parked as near to the entrance as he could. While Lily went to the desk to help her mother get checked in, Remus and James found uncomfortable seats in the waiting area. There was a deck of cards on the table between them. James picked it up and began to shuffle restlessly, as if having something to do with his hands helped cover the general awkwardness of the situation.

"She'll be OK," said Remus. "Mrs. Evans. She just needs to get checked out. Maybe take something for her heart."

"Lily says she's been sick for a while," said James, eyes still fixed on the two women at the check-in desk, the younger supporting the elder.

"Yeah," said Remus. "As long as I've known her."

"What does she have? Lily never said."

Remus shrugged. "A bunch of things that are all even less fun when you add them together."

"Did you have plans for tonight?" James asked, looking Remus's outfit up and down.

"Nothing important," Remus said evasively.

James looked skeptical, but continued shuffling.

"So ..." said Remus, searching for a safe topic to cover the awkward silence, "how's the apartment hunt going?"

James shrugged. "Slow. Pete and I have been busy with school, and Sirius is busy at the library. We're going to take a look at a couple of places next week."

"Well, I hope one of them looks all right."

"Me too."

Lily came over and subsided into a chair.

James sat up straighter. "How is she?"

"They won't let me go in with her, so I guess we just have to wait. If you don't mind?" She gave James a pleading look. "I've called my dad, and he can come get us when he's done with work, if you have somewhere else to be."

"I don't mind waiting," James told her. He held up the cards. "Do you guys know how to play Gin?"

The deck only had forty-nine cards, but they made it work, somehow. Remus was grateful to have someone else there to help keep Lily distracted from her worries about her mother, and James seemed genuinely solicitous towards her.

They were in the middle of their third hand when the clinic door opened. Remus glanced up, and froze. Lily and James noticed the direction of his gaze and looked up, too.

"There you are," said Severus Snape acerbically. He glanced back and forth between James and Remus, but decided to ignore them. "I got your message. I went to your apartment, but no one was home, so I came here."

"Oh." Lily looked flustered. "Thanks for coming by, Sev. You didn't have to do that."

"I can see that," Severus scowled. "You could've texted me back to let me know I wasn't needed, after all. I got off work early when I got your message. Told them I had a family emergency."

"I really appreciate it, Sev," said Lily earnestly. "You're right. I should've texted you that we had a ride. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry."

Severus did not look as if "sorry" was good enough. Remus could guess why. He had probably hoped to come to Lily's rescue, like some sort of knight in shining armor, comforting and supporting her in her hour of need, all the past issues in their relationship swept away in one grand gesture. Instead of a distraught and grateful Lily, he had found a Lily calmly playing cards with two other men, in no need of his assistance.

"Who's this?" James asked, eyeing the sallow stranger with uncombed and unwashed hair.

Severus's scowl deepened. "Severus Snape. I'm Lily's oldest friend. Who are you?"

"James Potter. Pleased to meet you," said James. He did not sound as if meeting Severus gave him any particular pleasure.

Severus turned his black gaze back to Lily. "This your new boyfriend?"

Lily's jaw tightened. "Maybe we should talk outside."

Remus glanced around. Everyone else in the waiting room was watching them with expressions ranging from wariness to avid interest.

"Suits me," said Severus, turning on his heel and striding towards the door.

"I'll be back in a minute," Lily told Remus and James grimly.

Remus stayed where he was, reminding himself yet again that Lily's relationship with Severus was her own business, but James stood up, looking at Remus.

"That the guy who hassled you and Sirius at the library?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "Lily can handle him, though."

James frowned. "She shouldn't have to deal with his shit today, on top of everything."

It was nearly dark outside, but the light of the clinic and a nearby streetlamp illuminated the parking lot in a chilly glow.

Lily and Severus broke off their heated conversation when they saw James and Remus come out of the clinic. James went to lean on his car, arms folded, watching them. Remus stood by the clinic wall, hands in his pockets.

"That your car, is it?" sneered Severus.

James nodded.

"Well, that explains a lot," he said to Lily. "You dumped me for a rich pretty-boy. You know, I thought you were different from other girls, but you're not. God! Women are so fucking shallow."

"If that's what you think, then maybe you should leave right now," hissed Lily from between clenched teeth.

Severus gave her a pitying look. "I was so good to you. I was always there for you when you needed anything. I volunteered my valuable time at that fucking kitchen. I would have given you everything. And what do I get out of it? I'm supposed to be grateful that you fucked me once? I guess it's true what they say; females will always go for some asshole instead of a nice guy."

"Hey!" said James indignantly, standing up straight.

Lily's face went from scarlet to dead white. "You think you're a 'nice guy', Sev? You're not nearly as nice as you think you are. Niceness means actually caring about people and their happiness, not about getting what you want from them. Remus is nice. You're an asshole."

Severus's eyes blazed. "You think you're too good for me? Well, you're not. You may have fooled me for a while, but not anymore. I should've known that someone who spent her time hanging around with whores was probably a whore, too."

"That's enough," snapped James. He stepped in to loom over Severus menacingly. Severus cringed away. "I won't stand by an listen to you insult a lady like that. Go, or I'll make you go."

"James, this is not about you," said Lily, green eyes flashing.

"Yeah, James," Severus taunted. "Anyway, she's no lady. She's a fat, worthless slut. But you probably already knew that. How long did it take her to spread her legs for you? An hour? Less? Was it just her, or did you have both of them together?" He shot Remus a look of extreme dislike. "I hope for your sake that you used protection."

James put a hand on Severus's shoulder and squeezed until he squeaked.

"Leave. Now." James's voice was low, dangerous, and very precise. "And if I ever hear that you bothered anyone of my acquaintance again, I will come find you, and make you very, very sorry."

"Let go of me!" squealed Severus. "I'll have you arrested for assault!"

"Let him go, James," said Lily sharply.

James released him, and Severus staggered away, rubbing his shoulder.

"Are you going to call the police?" James asked evenly.

"I should," snarled Severus. "It might be funny. They don't usually give guys your color the benefit of the doubt."

James tensed, and so did Remus. Lily might be the kind of witness who would be listened to, but the police would not be inclined to friendliness towards someone like Remus, either. Especially not after they looked up his name and found multiple solicitation arrests.

"You're not going to call the police," said Lily coldly. "Not when there are half a dozen witnesses inside who saw you show up looking to start shit. You wouldn't want to risk your promising future over a fat, worthless slut like me, would you?"

Severus hunched his shoulders, and made a visible effort to compose himself. "I didn't mean it like that. I lost my temper. You know what I'm like when something sets me off. I'm - I'm sorry, Lily." He made a face, as if the word tasted bad.

Lily stared at him for a moment, jaw clenched. "'Sorry' isn't good enough this time, Sev," she said at last, struggling to keep her voice steady. "My mom is sick. I had a bad day. I needed support . And you showed up here acting like I owed you, insulting me and the people who were actually there for me when I needed them. You didn't even ask how my mom was doing. I'm done. I'm not going to let you treat me like this anymore. Goodbye, Sev."

Without another word, she turned around and walked back into the clinic. Remus and James exchanged a look, and followed, leaving Severus alone in the parking lot.

Lily was curled up in one of the uncomfortable chairs, tears streaming down her red cheeks. Remus went to her and sat down beside her, putting an arm around her.

"You OK, Lils?" he asked gently.

"I've n-never been so hum-miliated and a-angry in my life," gasped Lily.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," said James heartily. "That guy's a dick."

Lily swallowed and looked up at James through reddened eyes. "Look, I know you were t-trying to be a good guy or whatever out there, but I don't need someone to s-swoop in and play the hero or fight m-my fights for me. It wasn't anything to d-do with you."

James blinked. "I'm sorry. I just didn't think you needed that today."

"I get that," said Lily. "But n-next time maybe ask before deciding what someone else n-needs. Thanks for your h-help today, James, but you should go now. We'll w-wait here till my dad comes."

James opened his mouth, then closed it again and nodded. "OK. Sorry, again. I hope your mom is all right. I'll text you later."

Lily closed her eyes and nodded.

James glanced helplessly from Lily to Remus, then turned and walked out the door.

When he had gone, Lily leaned her face into Remus's shoulder and sobbed.

"Where've you been?" Sirius asked as James came in from the garage. "I thought you'd be up in your room, studying."

"Lily's mom was sick. I had to drive them to the clinic."

"Is she OK?" Sirius asked.

James shrugged. "Not really, but it sounds like she's not in great health at the best of times."

Sirius frowned, looking James over. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. Just - a little shaken up. That guy showed up again. The one who came to the library."

"Oh. What did he do this time?"

James opened the refrigerator, taking out a beer. "He acted like an utter piece of shit. Want one?"

Sirius nodded. James passed him the beer and grabbed another for himself. They went into the large, high-ceilinged living room and sat down on the sofa. Sirius sipped his beer, but James tilted his head back, swigging deeply.

"That bad, huh?" joked Sirius.

"You ever have a first impression of someone that you later found out was completely different from reality?" James asked.

Sirius frowned. "So, he wasn't a complete piece of shit, after all?"

"No, he was. I meant Lily, though," James clarified.

"What?" asked Sirius. "Is she not as awesome as you thought for some reason?"

"No, she's great," said James hastily. "Well, she did kind of tell me to fuck off today, but she was having a shitty day."

"She did?" asked Sirius, surprised.

James nodded. "But what I mean is, I had these ideas about who she was and what her life was like, and then I saw where she lives, and it's - it wasn't what I was expecting."

"Where does she live?"

"In this crappy little one-bedroom apartment with her parents. There was a sofa bed folded out in the living room. It looks like that's where she sleeps. I thought she was - I don't know - middle class or something. I knew she worked as a waitress and lived with her parents, but I imagined something ... more."

"Does that make a difference?" asked Sirius.

"I dunno," said James. "I've never dated anyone who wasn't at least comfortably well-off before."

Sirius nodded. "Me either. Remus told me the other day that he's broke, too. That was why the fine freaked him out so much."

"He was there, too," said James abruptly.

"Remus? Where?"

"At Lily's today. He came with us to the clinic. He was all dressed up like he was going out clubbing or something."

Sirius frowned. "That's weird. He said he was working tonight when I texted him earlier. He's been trying to get extra hours at the hotel."

"Maybe his schedule got changed at the last minute," said James with a shrug.

"Yeah, maybe," said Sirius doubtfully.

"I'm trying to figure out how I feel," James continued, returning to the original topic. "Like, I feel bad for them. Lily's family. I want to help, and it seems like they need it. But I feel like Lily doesn't want my help."

"Remus is the same way," Sirius sighed. "It's frustrating. If he won't accept money, I dunno what else I can do for him."

"This is so weird," said James with a mirthless chuckle, taking another swig of beer. "People have always told me to watch out for 'gold diggers', but what am I supposed to do when I meet someone who's the opposite of that? Who's so bent on being independent that they won't accept any help from me?"

"I've clearly spoiled you by letting your family help me too much," teased Sirius.

James laughed and nudged him. "What are you talking about? You won't accept help either."

"Yeah, I just live under your roof and let your family feed and clothe me for five years," said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "I don't ask for much."

"You don't, though," said James. "Seems to me like you and Remus have that in common."

Sirius frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe so," he said.