Disclaimer: Same as always, guys. I do the situations, but J.K is responsible for everything else.

Author's Note: OK, here it is. The big one. I must apologise again for the wait - school has been crazy lately, and I just really wanted to get this scene perfect, since we've been building up to it for so long. The last thing I want to do is disappoint you guys (especially since you've stuck with my story regardless of the shockingly crappy and irregular updating). To be honest, I'm still not sure it's very good, but I feel like we're all here to improve, and maybe with some suggestions from you guys I can come back and make it better at a later date. In the mean time, I hope it suffices. The tension, the tension.

Happy Reading! :)

"OK Lily, are you ready to do this?"

James waved his hand in front of Lily's face one more, shaking her out of whatever dream she'd been having. He looked at her with masked confusion, wondering what had gotten into her.

Ever since their conversation earlier that day, she had seemed distant and deep in thought every time he happened to glance her way. Of course, as Sirius took great pleasure in pointing out, he did that far more than a regular person, but still. He couldn't help it - concern for Lily was second nature to him, and looking down at the petite redhead as she nodded distractedly, he couldn't help but feel worried.

"Let's go." She spoke softly but firmly, seemingly back in the present, so James nodded, and slipped the cloak over both of them while pulling out the Map.

"Next stop, Restricted Section," he joked, grinning, and Lily smiled briefly, before lowering her eyes to the ground.

They started slowly forward and left the Gryffindor Tower, slipping noiselessly down the marble staircase and turning right. James glanced at the Map at regular intervals, though he glanced at Lily even more. She kept her eyes firmly on the ground, but James could have sworn he saw a light flush colour her cheeks as they kept walking. His arm was once again brushing hers gently, making every nerve ending in his body feel like a live wire. He wanted her to look at him, to give him a sign about what he should do, what she wanted him to do, but she never once looked up.

He tried not to groan in frustration as her fingers grazed his, and the sweet smell of her hair enveloped him.

If only he could tell what she was thinking.

* * *

Lily's mind was a whirl. She tried to ignore James proximity by keeping her eyes trained on the stone flagstones beneath her feet, but it was impossible. She could practically feel the electricity radiating between their bodies as they walked, making her heart flutter erractically and her cheeks flush. The sound of his breathing dominated her mind in the quiet - strong and steady, just like him.

She glanced sideways when she was sure he wasn't looking to see his well-defined forearm in her peripheral vision, his fingers practically touching her own, and she bit her lip in frustration.

How the hell could she have been so blind and stupid all these years?

That thought brought her back to the other distraction she had right now, the reason she had for putting herself through the slow, tantalising torture that was a midnight trip with James, and Lily supressed the urge to slap herself.

"Look, Lily if this is about what happened at the full moon, I already told you..."

His words still resounded in her head, and Lily shook herself softly, annoyed at her own stupidity. Was it really possible...? Could she really have gone all this time without realising? And then, what about James? Did he...?

Lily shook herself again, trying to focus on the here-and-now as she noticed James looking at her curiously. The main question would be answered tonight, and the rest, she supposed, could wait.

"So..." she broke the awkward silence, knowing that he would have warned her if there were any teachers about. "Uhhh..how are you?"

She looked up at him for the first time, and instantly regretted it. Just peeking into those deep hazel orbs made her feel like she was slowly melting.

James paused for a second, drinking in her beautiful face like he did every time she looked at him, before answering.

"I'm...fine." He smiled at her believably, but the hand furthest from her simultaneously clenched into a fist. Let's see: he was just a few inches away from the girl that had been the love of his life for the past four years, sneaking around a deserted corridor with her, and yet completely unable to act on his feelings. Yeah, he was definitely fine. Merlin!

"You?" His eyes met hers once more, and Lily had to work to keep her body from shaking, her voice from trembling at the intensity of his gaze.

"Yeah...great." She cleared her throat, and averted her eyes. I mean, I think I'm completely in love with you, and I'm pretty sure that you don't feel the same any more - not that I blame you - but other than that? Perfect.

She wanted so badly to say the words out loud, to show him exactly how she felt about him after all these years of fighting it, but she just...couldn't. Instead, she sighed.

At that sound, James reacted instinctively. His hand grasped the top of her arm softly, sending a current sparking through his body as he pulled the redhead gently to a halt.

Lily's breath hitched as he touched her, and her heart-rate increased dramatically. Emerald met hazel, and she felt her cheeks tinge.

"You sure?"

Such simple words, and yet they were like a life-line to Lily. His voice was full of the concern and consideration he had always shown her, despite the numerous insults and rejections she had harshly thrown his way. Maybe, just maybe...

"Yes," she assured him softly. "It's just..."

She trailed off, never moving her eyes from his, and the atmosphere shifted. The air grew thick with tension, and Lily took a small step towards his broad chest.

James' eyes widened slightly, and his head inclined almost unconsciously towards hers as her eyelids fluttered closed...

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The high-pitched squeal burst the bubble, and Lily jumped backwards as Peeves came zooming down the corridor, knocking over suits of armour as he went. It took less than a few seconds for him to disappear around the corner, but the moment was gone.

James straightened up and cleared his throat as Lily flushed.

"Well, here we are, Evans." Lily turned to see they were standing in the entrance to the Library. She hadn't even realised. She swallowed and threw a quick glance at James, holding his gaze for as little time as possible as she communicated her thanks and ducked out from the cloak. She walked quickly to the door, drawing her wand and muttering 'alohamora' as she did so, before slipping inside.

James hesitated, resting his head against the cold stone wall for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. What the hell? Had he really been about to kiss Lily? What was he thinking?? I mean, she was clearly just caught up in the moment...he was lucky she hadn't whacked him one.

Even with that clear in his mind though, James couldn't help but feel severely disappointed, so he turned back to face the corridor, and spoke aloud.

"Peeves, I swear to God, you better hope I never find you."

With that, he slid off the cloak and followed Lily inside.

* * *

Inside the Library, it was pitch black, but Lily had spent enough time there over her years at Hogwarts to know her way around. She walked swiftly towards the Restricted section, her heart pounding. Whether that was because of James or what she was about to find out, she didn't know. She heard a door shut as she ducked under the velvet rope that sectioned the books off from the rest of the Library, and realised with a pang that James was following her.

* * *

"Lily?" James murmered quietly, as he glanced around in the darkness. He couldn't see a thing.

Drawing his wand from his pocket, he muttered 'lumos', and cast the light that burst from his wand around, searching for the redhead.

"Lily?" he whispered again, starting forward.

* * *

Lily ran softly among the shelves, praying James would take a while to find her. She didn't want him to know what she was doing here. She lit her own wand tip, keeping it low to stop it from being seen, and moved her finger along the dusty tomes, looking for the right one.

Hearing his footsteps approaching, she ducked around a corner, and raced as quietly as possible deeper into the darkness.

* * *

"Lily?" he repeated again, slightly louder, as he stepped over the barrier into the Restricted Section. He wasn't really familiar with this area of the school - he and Sirius never really had any reason to study, after all - so had absolutely no idea where to start. Where in Merlin's name was she? Why wasn't she answering him? And, more importantly, what the hell were they doing here?

* * *

Lily threw another quick glance behind her as she reached the very back wall, a towering case of books containing the darkest of magic. She knew it wouldn't be long until James found her, and she could hear her blood pounding in her ears are she hurriedly scanned the titles, looking for the right one. Where to look?

* * *

The Map!

James smacked his own forehead softly, and thrust his hand into his robe pocket, searching among the silvery folds of the cloak for his precious piece of parchement. He'd find Lily in no time.

* * *

Aha!

Lily finger landed on a thick tome entitled Plurimus Mortifer Bestia, and she hurriedly pulled it from the shelf. Her fingers scrambled with the pages as she skipped to the 'Werewolf' section, and came face-to-face with what she had been looking for: a lunar chart. Her eyes scanned the page, landing on each full moon. Could it possibly be...?

* * *

Aha!

James' fingers closed around the torn parchement as he pulled. The Map came free, and he was just about to turn his wand light on it when it landed instead on Lily, who rounded the corner in a hurry. Her expression was one of complete and utter disbelief, but she stopped when she saw James, and smiled tentatively.

"There you are." James smiled back. "Is everything OK? Did you find out what you needed to?"

Her eyes were guarded for a moment, and then she spoke, sounding slightly dazed. "I...Yes."

"Good." James smiled again, and then went on. "Well in that case, let's get out of here. Even I'll admit I was getting a bit freaked out there." He chuckled softly, and made to leave, but stopped when he saw Lily wasn't moving.

Her face was serious, her eyes penetrating, and James stepped closer to her as she abruptly opened her mouth and spoke.

"James, you're never going to tell me where you went that night by the lake, are you?" She didn't sound mad, but there was a demand in her voice - she wanted him to answer her, once and for all.

James fixed his eyes on hers, and just looked at her for a moment, before raising his shoulders and shaking his head gently.

"No."

"Why not? Lily pressed, still watching him. She didn't sound mad, but there was definitely something different about her, James was sure of it. "Don't you trust me?" she went on, her tone full of innocence.

"I'd trust you with anything." James didn't hesitate, and his voice was sincere. He took another step forward, closing the distance between them as he continued to speak. "I would Lily. You know that. It's just..." He paused about a foot away from her, and shrugged.

"It's not my secret to tell." He gave her an apologetic look, but was surprised to find her smiling at him when he finally found the courage to look at her face.

Lily dithered for a moment, openeing and closing her mouth a few times as she searched for the right words. James smirked softly, and she grinned, shrugging helplessly.

"You're a good friend." She stepped forward now, drawing closer to him as James watched, trying to figure out her mood. All of his thought processes stopped, however, when she moved again and reached forward, taking one of his hands in both of hers and playing gently with his fingers.

"I completely misjudged you James Potter, do you know that?" she went on, murmuring softly now, almost to herself. Then she looked up once more, and their eyes locked. The air froze, just like it had earlier in the night, and Lily spoke.

"Completely."

And then suddenly, amazingly, she stretched upwards on her toes, and pressed her lips firmly against his.

James froze for a second, but quickly regained himself as Lily's hands slid gently into his hair. He kissed her back softly, sweetly, lacing his arms around her waist and drawing her small body infinitesimally closer to his own.

Lily smiled against his mouth as her hands got lost in his thick locks, and she made a soft noise of contentment.

This was amazing.

They stayed that way for what seemed like forever, and then Lily slowly moved back, smiling at James as he grinned.

"Well...that, I was not expecting." He kept grinning, and Lily giggled nervously.

"Ummm...to be honest, me either." She smiled up at him, feeling suddenly shy, and bit her lip.

James had had time to regain some of his usual bravado, however, and leaned towards her, his head cocked to one side.

"So this means...?"

"This means, Potter, that both you and Miss Evans will be lucky not to get expelled."

The couple flinched as Filch's voice came gleefully from the shadows, and then he rounded the corner, a latern in his hand.

"The Head students caught out of bed at night, sneaking around in the Restricted Section." He smirked triumphantly, as Mrs Norris purred about his feet. "What will the Headmaster say?"

Lily and James exchanged a glance as they turned to face their fate.

Neither one really wanted to find out.

A/N: Reviews desperately required! Was it a complete let-down? (I really hope not!) Was it OK? PLEASE let me know!! :) Reviews are love!