Fire.

Ice.

Fire.

Ice.

The fire was in her chest, the back of her throat. Ashes, ashes. Sulfur. And it hurt. There was an odd pressure on her left hand, and it would have been comforting if she could concentrate on it, but there was ice taking the place of the fire in her arms and legs. It was odd. You cant put fire out with ice. It would just melt. Sure enough, the fire was taking back over. She didn't know what had hurt worse.

There was a noise in her head. It was loud and high-pitched. Familiar but she was unable to pinpoint the noise. The ashes were getting farther and farther down her throat now. She was still breathing it all in.

Something cold and shaking was on her face now. Welcome, but when she looked down she couldn't see it. All she could see was the blinding white light all around her, with nothing but the invisible fire as company.

"Fire, fire, I'm on fire." She said, realizing what was happening. It was some kind of curse. Invisible fire. She had never realized it before that moment, and she instantly started to swat at it on her chest, but not feeling anything. Just then, she inhaled a chunk of it. Ashes packed together into a ball lodged themselves into the back of her throat, and now she couldn't breathe at all.

Panicking, feeling the air leaving her brain, she started to try and keep the ashes out of her mouth, but something was stopping her hands. They were pinned to her sides, and now there were two cold, shaking things, on either side of her face. Here eyes were stinging from the dryness, and she closed them for a second. She really considered letting go, but a voice in her head told her to hold on, just a little longer.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Without waiting for an instruction, James bounded to his wife's bed, grabbing her hand. His chest felt weird at the sight of her, constricted with the sobs he was trying to hold back. The healers were talking about a numbing spell, and one tapped their wand on Lily's leg. An odd, icy blue glow hovered over her arms and legs, but another red one was everywhere else. It shocked James, and it apparently shocked the Healers too.

They started to panic and shout unintelligible commands at each other, which nearly drove James to hysterics. But he had to hold on for her. She needed him. He needed her. The red glow started to chase the blue away, and soon it was all that was left.

James watched her carefully. She was still screaming, but it was almost like background noise to James. He was concentrating on sending his energy to her. He placed his hand on her cheek, realizing it was shaking. Her breathing was oddly ragged, and labored.

"Fire! Fire! I'm on Fire!" She screamed. James looked up alarmingly and the healers stopped, shocked.

"What are you doing!?" James yelled. They all flinched and got back to their hurried work. He automatically turned his attention back to her. She started to fling her arms all around her. Her eyes were still fixed unseeingly at the ceiling, but she was trying to put the 'fire' out.

Then she stopped breathing.

She just stopped. Fearing, but trying not to believe the worst, James placed both his hands on either side of her head, willing his body to give every ounce of energy it possessed. She closed her eyes slowly, almost dramatically, as if she were giving up.

"No. Hold on Lily. Just a little longer. Hold on. Please. Please." James cried in agony.

Then someone behind him shouted, "Do it!" Someone pushed him out of the way urgently. James watched as the person moved his wand, muttering. Someone grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and dragged him to the other side of the bed. "Keep doing the energy transfer!" A female voice yelled. James clasped her left hand with both of his and felt that it was really warm. Fire.

Other healers started to help the one that had pushed James away. He watched as the healers tried to bring his wife, his soul mate, his Lily, back from the dead, for the second time in a week.

*~*~*~*~*

The fire was gone.

Something inside her told her to hold on, so she did. She knew she could move one. What ever that meant. But she didn't. She stayed lying down, not moving. Waiting. She tried to remember who she was.

Who was she?

L…L something. Evans. L Evans. But her name wasn't 'El'. It was…Lily.

She always liked her name. She tried to remember more. Someone. James. He was important. Very important. Her boyfriend. Then fiancé. She smiled contently. He was her fiancé. No, wait.

The wedding. He was her husband. She wasn't Lily Evans any more. She was Lily Potter.

And she was in love with James Potter.

Something inside her knew he needed her. That was odd. Why was she here anyway?

Lily stopped. What was in her back? There was terrible pressure in her back. It hurt. Lily's eyes started to water. Noises were fading to her. She still heard the screams. She looked down and saw a blood spot on her stomach. Ah. She was dead. She frowned. Then she remembered everything. Reliving her life over the past week. Suddenly she knew everything. She knew that James, silly, stupid, loving James, had stayed by her side the whole time.

Maybe with death comes new knowledge?

No it was….

New Power. She had new power. She could tap into James's brain? Impossible. Well…maybe. She concentrated on the past week through his mind. She was experiencing adacomasis. It had a different effect for different people. She was connecting with her…soul mate? Yes, that sounded right.

And right now, she felt it. That he was in pain. Suddenly she saw through his eyes, at her lifeless body as countless people worked on her, half-heartedly now. Silent Tears were leaking down his face. His pain was un-bearable.

She couldn't bear to feel that pain. She knew that if it weren't for this serene place, she would be in pain too. From not being with him. Her body still semi-ached from the fire.

She wasn't ready to die. Not yet.

She centered all her… mysterious between-life-and-death energy, into home. Earth. London. The place she wanted to be. She felt it. A strange sensation. Maybe how a suction cup feels when being pulled from a window. There was an odd sort of pressure, different from apparation, and then, suddenly, she was on a lumpy mattress, her head pounding in renewed pain.

No ashes, no fire or ice. Just a bad headache and minor chest constriction.

Lily sucked in a glorious amount of clean air, turned her head to her left and opened her eyes to look into her husbands. She squeezed his hand and fell asleep. Dying, returning, going through three months of memories in less then a week, being on fire, dying again, and returning again really did drain your energy.

*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone stopped as suddenly, Lily breathed in some air, almost like she was luxuriating in it. She smiled contentedly, and opened her eyes.

James looked back at her. She could've passed as just extremely tired, not sitting in a hospital after she had been in a coma, then waken up screaming about fire.

She squeezed his hand, and turned on her side, getting comfortable, and went to sleep.

The head Healer smiled and said, "huh."

"Amazing."

"Weird."

"What the hell?"

James laughed with relief, bringing her hand to his face. It was normal temperature now. "Why did she go back to sleep?" he asked suddenly.

The only female looked contemplative. "Well…I expect what she just went through wasn't easy. She may be genuinely tired." She sighed. Everyone just stood there no knowing what to do. They had just been working furiously to save her life, and now she was fine.

Then a Healer started to examine her. He kept looking at James funny when he had gotten to her head. Then he smiled and straitened up. He turned to the rest of the Healers in the room. "Why don't you take a lunch break? That was…stressing." They smiled appreciatively, and backed out of the room, muttering to themselves. Then the Healer turned to James and extended a hand. "I'm not sure we've met formally. I'm Healer Schmelowick. I work generally emergency cases such as this. This one is certainly interesting."

James shook his hand, not able to keep his gaze entirely off Lily. "Thanks for all your work Healer Schmelowick. I really do appreciate it."

"She came out sooner then was expected. I think her subconscious was fighting to get back to the real world without her knowledge. That may be why it hurt her so much to come out, then to go through the power transformation…or receiving. Then she well…died from the pain and possibly hallucinations. You witnessed her screaming of 'fire'. But she still came back. I don't think she wants to die yet. It truly is a miracle." The Healer said, still examining her head.

"So right now she's just…. tired?" James asked disbelieving. Happy, but it was hard to imagine that after that much pain, which he would have gladly taken from her, she was fine.

"Well, she has a headache which we can give her something for when she wakes up. Her chest is a little sore from breathing so constricted. And maybe her throat. But other then that, she's fine. Once she is awake for more then half an hour, we can start treating her for her wound." Then he glanced up at James, looking amused. "Do you have any secrets from your wife?"

Surprised by the question, James shook his head. "No, I tell her everything."

"Well, good, because your mind isn't entirely your own. You two must have a truly amazing bond." The Healer sat in the chair on the other side of Lily, like it was a job interview. "Instead of enhancing her magical powers, the Adacomasis has given her a…link to your mind. While I was searching hers for any physiological damage, I was also inside your mind." James flinched. "I backed out. I'm not big on invasion of privacy. But it was hard. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but her brain kept checking on yours. If I didn't know better," he chuckled and stood up. "She's concerned for you."

"Go home, take a shower, have something to eat. She'll be asleep for a while."

Sirius walked through the halls of St. Mungos to Lily's room, thinking about the afternoon he had had.

"What about us?" Sirius had asked her. Chasidy looked up.

"What about us?" She murmured back. She stood up and moved to the window above the sink in her small apartment kitchen. Crossing her arms, she watched the willow tree sway soothingly in the wind down below in the courtyard.

Sirius stood up and moved next to her. A week before it had been Lily for him. Lily had been the one he wanted. But then he comes across Chasidy, the Ravenclaw that had always resisted him. And an odd relationship sprung.

She turned to face him. "I have a very bad feeling that you're going to be bad for me Sirius Black. Then she snaked her arms around his next and reached up to kiss him….
Sirius smiled contentedly. He thought that he was finally close to what James was having. Speaking of James….where was he?

He walked into Lily's room, and she was alone. Odd. James would never have left Lily alone when she was in a coma. He looked at Lily and his eyes narrowed. He moved to her bedside, and watched her sleep. It was plainly obvious she was sleeping. Turned on her side, and smiling. That was why James had left. She was okay. Sirius laughed and sank into a chair, rubbing his temples. "Lily Potter, you gave us all a scare." He couldn't have sworn that her smile had gotten bigger.

He sat there for about a half and hour when James walked in. Clean-shaven, with a new light in his eyes. "I was waiting for you. So," Sirius said, standing up. "She's awake?"

James nodded. "About three hours ago. It was…pretty freaky."

"Really?" Sirius asked. James nodded and continued to tell him the story. Sirius was quiet. Then- "James!" he whined. "Now she's going to know everything we did in school."

"Well, its not like I can punish you now can I?" a voice from behind said.

"Lily!" James cried happily, crossing to her bedside. Sirius turned around.

"Ah, welcome back Lils. I better be going, let you two love birds catch up." He said, heading to the door.

"Come back later Sirius." James called after him, turning back to his wife. Sirius smiled as he left.

Lily smiled at James, who was smiling back, very happy, but studiously. "I'm not going anywhere." She told him calmly.

He was kneeling next to her bed, level with her head. She took the hand that he wasn't holding and placed it on the side of his face. He closed his eyes and put his other hand over it. They sat like that for a while. "You died." He whispered. "Twice."

Lily nodded. "I know."

"Why?" He asked. She didn't need to know what he meant.

Lily watched him carefully as she chose her words. "I…I didn't want to leave just yet. It hurt. To come back. But I had a new husband, and I'm determined to have a happy marriage,"

"I love you." He told her, looking into her eyes.

"I love you too."