A/N: I'm back with chapter 38! I'll admit that this chapter does not have James or Lily but it DOES have a surprise that I hope you will all enjoy! Not much else to add, so please read and review.
Disclaimer: I'm not even going to bother.
Tears on the Balcony
By ByeByeBirdie
Chapter 37: Of Umbilical Cords, Surprises, & Black Thongs
Sirius and Riley sat in a secluded dungeon, a feeling of tranquil perfection succumbing to them. The room was dark and gloomy, but it was tucked away in the corner of the castle where they were certain a person hadn't strolled by in years. Cobwebs adorned the angles of the room and dust covered the stone walls. There was a single small window in the middle of room with the outdoor light fighting to peek through. But even though it was eerie, to them it was perfect.
"Are you looking forward to break?" Sirius asked Riley.
She shrugged, frowning slightly. "Not really."
When she didn't offer any reason behind it, Sirius pressed her. "Why not? I thought you liked going home."
She shrugged again. The movement seemed stiff and awkward. "I do," she muttered. "But…well, you know my grandmother."
"Actually I don't. Not personally, at least," Sirius snickered, hoping for a laugh on Riley's part. "I'm pretty sure if your mother even knew you conversed with me, she'd drag you out of Hogwarts and put you in finishing school. I am a Black, remember."
She didn't even force out a laugh. Ignoring his comment, she simply muttered, "I just don't want to have to deal with her, I guess."
"Well you like the rest of your family—you get to see Lance again," Sirius pointed out, wondering what was going on with Riley. She was being very quiet and dismissive, something that she most certainly was not. "And you'll be spending most of the break with your brothers. Just forget about your stuffy old grandmother and make memories with the rest of your big family."
Again, Riley didn't reply right away. Her eyes lingered tightly on the window before she finally uttered a simple, "Yeah."
"Okay, what's wrong, Riley?" Sirius eventually blurted out.
Riley hesitated. "What makes you think something is wrong?"
"You're awfully quiet and very distant," he started, gazing at her with scrutinizing eyes. "C'mon, Riley, talk to me."
For a second it looked as if Riley was going to pass it off as nothing and move to another subject but her eyes clouded over and she eventually looked up at Sirius with a concerned expression. She sighed inwardly and said, her voice shaking warily, "What happens if you find someone else over break?"
Sirius stood there in a mixture of shock and confusion, trying to decipher what she meant. "What are you talking about?"
Riley continued her silent streak, moving her eyes towards the ground in growing dejection. She sat there for a long time, deep in thought. "I'm talking about the last time this happened. The last time we got close and…" she trailed off with a sigh, finding solace in staring at her fingers intently. She slowly lifted her gaze until she met his concerned eyes. "Sirius, you found someone else during the two weeks we were apart. Who's to say that won't happen again?"
Sirius frowned guiltily. "I'm saying that won't again," he argued, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. He pressed his lips to her forehead instinctively. She looked so scared and anxious and he wanted so desperately to make her trust him again. "I was young and foolish then. I let my fears take over. I was too afraid of admitting my feelings for you. I-I didn't know what I wanted. But I'm 17 now and I know I want you. And there is no one that could change my mind about that. I will never make the mistake of letting you go again. I did it once and I am sure as hell not going to let it happen again."
Though Riley wasn't totally convinced, she nodded anyway and uttered, "Okay."
But Sirius quickly saw right through that act. "Riley, don't say okay if you don't mean it," he stated.
"No, I mean it. I-"
"No, I know you don't believe me and I'm sure there's no way I can prove it until you come back from break and see nothing has changed between us. But I just need you to listen to me. Because I'm behing 100% honest with you right now Hell, I'm finally being honest with myself. I don't plan on running because I'm not scared anymore. I'm not the same guy I used to be. I've grown up and I've learned what's most important in life," Sirius explained, his thumb carressing her cheek. "And you, Riley, are the most important thing to me right now. I know I've screwed up in the past. A lot. But I'm going to make it up to you in every way that I can. I just don't want you to worry during your break about what I'm doing. Because I got to tell you, the only thing I'll be doing is thinking about you and how much I'm going to miss you."
Riley felt herself smile and kissed him softly on the mouth. "Thank you," she said softly, intertwining her fingers with his.
He knew her gratitude was in reference to his attempt to reassure her. He just hoped she believed him.
"When did you get to be so perfect, Sirius?" she asked, snuggling up against him with a smile.
"Hm…I could go with a cheesy answer which would be something about when I met you, or would you like the comical answer which would have to do with my mother, my birth, and an umbilical cord."
Riley laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. "I think I got the gist of both answers."
Sirius loved hearing Riley laugh. He could listen to that laugh all day long. "Well, cheesy and comical are what I do best."
She smiled. "I can certainly attest to that," she agreed. She hesitated. "But you can also be romantic."
"Shh!" Sirius quickly argued. "You're going to ruin my reputation by saying things like that."
"You're in a relationship, Sirius," Riley reminded him. "Pretty sure your reputation is already ruined."
He grinned cheekily. "Yeah, but nobody knows about that."
Riley shrugged. "Nobody knows about your romantic side either," she said softly. "Except for me. And I've got to say, I don't hate it."
Sirius smiled, brushing his lips against her cheek. "You make it easy to be romantic."
Riley's heart skipped a beat as she leaned over to kiss him, their lips meeting in a fiery passion.
How did she almost walk away from this?
Kay sat on a bench by herself outside the Hogsmeade platform waiting for the train to arrive. She was dreading the idea of going home but somehow, her Friday night turned out to not be so bad even though it wasn't spent with Lily and Riley like it had in the past. She, Remus, and Peter had snuck out to the kitchens and remained there way past curfew, reminiscing on previous Christmas breaks. When they returned to the common room, it was completely empty. They fell into the couches by the dying fire, chewing on the remainder of the chocolate chip cookies they had the house elves whip up for them. Eventually, Peter trudged up to bed, but Kay and Remus stayed up late having a rather personal conversation about their families. Kay talked about the endless fights she was forced to witness between her parents. She learned more about Remus' parents and how they had essentially given up on him as a kid; he wouldn't say why, but Kay saw regret and suffering deep within the gleam of his eye. They both eventually drifted off to the crackling sound of the fire and were slightly baffled when they awoke with the sunrise to find themselves in a place other than their beds.
"Hey, Kay. How are you?"
Kay glanced to her right and saw Sirius sliding beside her on to the bench.
She frowned. "Uh…I'm good," she lied. "What are you doing here?"
"What, I can't say goodbye to one of my friends?"
Kay gave him a look.
"Okay, so I came to play a prank on Snivellus, but it's almost the same thing," Sirius joked.
"Right," Kay responded monotonously, turning away from him. "How were the finishing touches on your project last night?"
"What project?" Sirius asked.
Kay turned to him in confusion. "What do you mean 'what project?' I mean the project you've been working on 24/7 with your worst enemy for the past week."
"Oh. That project," Sirius replied nervously. "And I'm assuming you mean Gilmore."
"No, I mean the other girl you've purposely harassed these past two years making her life miserable," Kay shot back, rolling her eyes.
"Hm…you're not best friends with any of my Slytherin cousins, are you?" Sirius teased.
"Oh yeah, I strive to hang out with Bellatrix and Narcissa in my spare time. How did you know?" Kay replied dryly.
She didn't say it intending Sirius to laugh, but he laughed anyway. "Touché."
"So you never answered my question," Kay brought up.
"What question?"
"How were putting on the finishing touches of your project late last night?" she repeated.
"Why do you care?" he asked curiously, stalling in order to come up with a good lie.
"I don't," she replied rather quickly, glancing briefly up at him with a stoic expression. "But I still have fifteen minutes before the train arrives and I'm not particularly good at the whole small talk thing."
"Then why bother with the small talk?" he questioned.
"Because I'd rather not sit here in an awkward silence with you," she snapped, taking Sirius aback.
He frowned. "Who says it would be awkward?" Sirius eventually asked, wondering why Kay looked so disheartened.
Kay snorted and turned to him. "When was the last time you and I had a conversation that lasted longer than two sentences?"
"We're having a conversation right now, aren't we?"
"Yeah, because after the initial 'what are you doing here' exchange, I asked how the finishing touches came. Hence, the small talk."
Sirius sensed hostility in her voice and was surprised by it. Kay was usually so easygoing. "Okay, what is up with you?"
"Nothing," she murmured, obviously lying through her teeth.
"Then why are you snapping my head off?"
"I'm not snapping your head off," she contradicted.
"You insulted me about three times in the past five minutes," Sirius protested.
"And that's snapping your head off?" Kay asked innocently. Sirius quirked a curious eyebrow and Kay consented with a sigh. "Okay, fine. Maybe you're right. I'm-"
"Maybe?"
"Fine, you're right!" she shot back irritably. "I'm not exactly in the best mood right now."
"Oh, really? I couldn't tell," Sirius drawled sarcastically.
Kay shot him a glare. "Must you always be so sarcastic?"
He shrugged sheepishly. "It's one of my many talents."
"'Talents?'" Kay questioned his word-choice.
Sirius chuckled. "Fine, it's a nuisance."
Kay couldn't help but smile. "Much better."
"So why the long face, Richards?"
"Well, for one, I'm sitting here with you," she stated, the ends of her mouth inching upward.
Sirius pouted. "I'm going to pretend that was a joke."
"Pretend away," she snickered.
He laughed. "See? We can be friends."
"No, you're friends with my friends and I'm friends with your friends. That doesn't necessarily mean we're friends," she argued. "It means we run in the same friendly circle. That's it."
Sirius stared at her. "I think that's the most times friends has ever been mentioned in the same sentence."
She shrugged. "It's too early to be prolific."
Sirius furrowed his brow.
"Too big a word for you?"
Sirius laughed, nodding dismissively. He fixed his stare on her, his eyes turning curious and cautious. A sincere frown slowly inched his way downward. "Y'know, Kay," he said slowly. "We could be friends."
Kay noted the sincere tone in her face and she found herself smiling. Really smiling. She might have been in an irritable mood, but she could always count on Sirius Black to make her laugh. And she was surprised to find out she was grateful for it. "Yeah...we probably could." If Lily and Riley wanted to ditch her, at least she had Remus and Sirius putting in an effort.
He gazed down at her and noticed that she suddenly looked ten years older. Her eyes were weary, her smiled strained. "Are you okay, Richards?"
She glanced over at him, startled. "Yeah," she lied.
He quirked an eyebrow. "We might not be best friends, but I can spot a lie a mile away."
"You're only like five inches away."
He chuckled. "Fine, I can spot a lie five inches away."
Kay opened her mouth to tell him it was nothing, but found herself saying, "I hate going home."
Sirius stiffened slightly. "I know the feeling," he murmured. "Why do you hate going home?"
She shook her head. "Because my family is crazy," she explained vaguely, shrugging awkwardly. "But whose family isn't dysfunctional nowadays, right?"
Sirius knew she was being evasive because she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't press on. "I can attest to that," he snorted. "You can always do what I did and run away."
Kay frowned, glancing uneasily up at him. "That couldn't have been easy," she said cautiously.
Sirius shrugged, plastering a smile on his face. Pretending his family background didn't pain him was what he did best. Then again, he did have seventeen years of practice. "It is what it is."
"At least you have the Potters."
Sirius glanced down at her curiously. "How much has Gilmore told you about me?"
Kay shrugged. To be honest, Riley really hadn't mentioned much. But she mentioned enough for Kay to know that Sirius has had one hell of a difficult life. "Enough."
Sirius just nodded curtly. "Oh."
Silence fell between them. But it wasn't awkward. It felt comfortable.
Kay glanced over at Sirius at one point and found herself saying, "Sirius, you know Lance, right?"
Sirius was thrown by the question. "Lance Gilmore? Yeah. I mean, the Gilmores and the Potters are practically inseparable when on break so I've grown to know the guy. Why?"
She shrugged. "I don't know," she muttered. "I...this was the first winter break I had actually been looking forward to because it meant I got to see Lance. Until..."
"You broke up with him?"
Kay felt a lump forming in her throat as she nodded. "Yeah," she said softly, glancing down at the sidewalk studiously. "Now...now I feel like it's ten times harder going home."
Sirius felt himself frown. He remembered the way Riley acted when she had found out about Kay and her brother. He couldn't help but wonder if it was the same way some of his friends may react if they found out about him and Riley. "I'm really sorry, Kay," he said.
Kay knew he was being sincere. But it didn't help any. Before she could respond, Riley slipped on to the bench on the other side of Kay. "You okay, Kay?"
"Yeah," she lied. "Why do you ask?"
"You just disappeared this morning. Lily and I didn't know where you went," she explained.
"Just…just wanted to get down to the platform I guess," Kay murmured.
"You excited?"
Kay tried hard not to glare at her. "It's home. Of course not."
"Right," Riley said, giving her a sympathetic look. "Sorry."
Kay shrugged, trying not to make it into a big deal.
Riley changed the subject. "So what are you doing here, Black?" she asked, looking over at Sirius. "Oh no wait, I bet you're playing a prank on Snape."
"Now why would you automatically assume I'm playing a prank?" he asked, feigning hurt.
"Because you're sure as hell ain't down here to say goodbye to me," she snapped.
"You know me well," he snickered.
"Now, why don't you go play your prank and leave us the hell alone?"
"And where's the fun in that?" he teased.
"Well if you don't leave us alone, I could turn you into a pig and that would be fun."
"Fun for who?" Sirius retaliated.
"Well for starters, me," Riley snickered.
"And me," Kay agreed.
"What? You're agreeing with her?" he whined.
"Well, watching you squeal and roll in fake mud would be fun for anyone to watch," she explained.
"That's it, this friendship's over."
"And that lasted all of…what? Fifteen minutes?" Kay snickered.
"Eleven...but who's counting?"
"You apparently," Riley murmured. "Now go find someone else to annoy."
"I'm feeling the love around here."
"Go away!"
"Yeah, definitely feeling the love," Sirius murmured, as he flashed them a smile and strode off to find Snape to irritate. As Kay watched him walk away, she was surprised to realize she almost would have chosen his company over Riley's. At least she could talk about Lance with him.
"Why couldn't he have been sorted into another house?" Riley murmured,. But she couldn't help but wonder how she was going to last two weeks without him.
"Or just not born at all," Kay added with a snicker.
"Yes, that would have saved a lot of girls their virginity," Riley laughed.
BOOM!
A loud explosive sound was heard from behind them. Neither had to turn around to know who was behind it. "Guess he found Severus," Riley snickered.
After a long train ride where Riley sympathized with Kay's family situation and attempted to get her mind off of the inevitable two-week break, they got off the train and searched for their families.
"Oh hey, there's my dad," Riley eventually said. "Why's my dad here?"
Kay laughed, knowing perfectly well that Riley's father was always too busy with his lawyer profession to help out with the family, even if Riley did enjoy his company more than her mother's. She turned to where her family stood and froze as she made eye-contact with the one person she had been trying to forget about: Lance.
"Er…I'm going to go find my family," Kay murmured, backing away slowly.
Riley grabbed her arm. "No, don't," she protested with a sigh. "I asked Lance to be here."
Kay stared at incredulously, finally putting down her trunk because it was getting too heavy from standing in one place with it. "You…you what?"
"Do you remember when we made up and I told you I had a surprise during Christmas break?" she asked, looking away for fear of being yelled at. "Well…surprise?"
"Hasn't anyone ever told you that I hate surprises?" Kay questioned.
"You love surprises."
"Not when they involve ex-boyfriends!" she hissed. "That's what some people call a death wish."
"And I call it a surprise."
Kay simply just stared at her.
Riley glanced at Kay. "I told him to come, Kay."
"But…but why?" Kay asked curiously.
Riley sighed. "Because I was being a complete idiot. I shouldn't be the one stopping you from being happy. I...I'm honored that you think our friendship is more important than your relationship with Lance, but that's not fair to you or him. You two deserve each other and...and yeah, I'm going to think it's weird, but that shouldn't mean you guys shouldn't be together. Who would I be to stop you? I-I don't want to see you miserable, Kay, and...and I'm so sorry for breaking you guys up. I'm your friend and…and I should support you. So that's what I'm doing: supporting you."
"I liked it better when we were hating each other," Kay murmured with a teasing smile. "Speaking of hating each other, I'm fairly sure Lance hates my guts."
"Well, if you don't go over there and talk to him, he'll hate your guts even more," Riley pointed out.
"Who's to say he wants to see me?" Kay asked.
"Who's to say he doesn't?" Riley fought back.
Kay stood still for what felt like eternity, thinking about her options. She could do what she did best and run or she could face her fears. Eventually, she sighed and picked up her trunk. "So are we going over there or what…"
Riley smiled and linked arms with her. "Let's go."
They slowly made their way over to her father, Lance, and Riley's other brother Caleb. When Lance finally caught sight of them, Kay noticed the smile on his face quickly turn into a thin line. "Hi Daddy!" Riley greeted, hugging him tightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Your mother was in the middle of a…hm…debate with your grandmother before we left and begged me to come instead," he replied.
"They were fighting over who I should marry, weren't they," she snickered.
He grinned sheepishly. "Well yes, but that's what they do best," he replied.
"Have they decided on anyone yet?" Riley asked with a laugh.
"Well your grandmother is partial to James Potter but your mother is more interested in that French prince, Caspian, or whatever his name is. I think she's finally realized that you and James will never be soulmates," he responded. "Personally, I think it would be better if you just never married at all. Hey, join a convent while you're at it."
"Aww, but it's much harder for me and her other brothers to interrogate her boyfriends when she doesn't have one," Caleb joined in. "Harder, but not impossible."
"I knew there was a reason I hated you," Riley smirked.
"I'm the brother you love. Lance here is the one who brings out the baby pictures of you," Caleb pointed out.
Riley turned to glare at Lance. "Life would've been easier if you were never born."
"Yes, but then who would play the guitar and sing loudly and off-key to you and your boyfriends as you walked out of the house or Gryffindor common room?" Lance said, a stiff smile on his face.
"Exactly," Riley murmured. She turned to Kay. "So you all remember Kay, right?"
"Yeah, nice to see you again," Riley's father greeted.
"Hey Kay," Caleb said with a smile.
Lance just stood there staring at the ground, a look of extreme annoyance on his face.
"Uh…okay then," Riley muttered. "Let's go bring my stuff to the car, okay?" She grabbed Caleb and her dad's arms hastily and led them away from Lance and Kay. She gestured to Kay to talk to Lance, giving her a warning look.
"What are you doing here, Kay?" Lance asked vehemently.
"Uh…well I'm going home for Christmas break so-"
"That's not what I meant," he snapped. "I mean, what are you doing over here? Why'd you bother walking over?"
Kay stared at the ground. "I-I don't know. Because Riley insisted, I guess."
He scowled. "Look, I didn't know that the reason Riley wanted me to come today was to talk to you," he replied. "If I had known, I probably wouldn't have shown up."
Kay hesitated. "You must have known on some level," she said softly. "It's not every day your sister begs you to come meet her at the station."
To that, he didn't respond.
"And yet you came anyway," she continued.
He glanced down at her, his eyes filled with regret. "Maybe a part of me did want to see you," he admitted. "Because unlike you, I missed you every damned day since you got on that Hogwarts Express back in September."
"Don't do that," she reprimanded. "Don't you dare presume to tell me how I felt. I missed you every minute of every day! Hell, I still miss you! You think I enjoyed having to break up with you? I didn't. You have no idea how sorry I am that things had to end that way. I never meant to hurt you, Lance."
"You chose my sister over me," Lance snapped. "How is that not supposed to hurt?"
"She's my best friend!" Kay cried out, louder than intended. She ignored the stares the two of them were earning from the students and their families around them. "I did what I had to do to save our friendship. She hated the relationship I was in. She completely shunned me. I felt so alone and abandoned. I had to do what I could to save our friendship. I'm sorry if that ruined things for you but I've been friends with Riley much longer than I've been dating you. She unfortunately had to come first."
Lance frowned, frustration seeping through his veins. "And what about me?" he asked hoarsely. "What about saving our relationship? Did that mean nothing to you?"
Kay opened her mouth to respond, but Lance hastily continued, "And how do you think it made me feel to be dumped by a letter? Here I was, seeing a letter from you and getting excited just to open it up and see that it was a bloody break-up letter! Talk about feeling alone and abandoned."
Tears brimmed in Kay's eyelids and she tried unsuccessfully to brush them away. "Do you think I enjoyed writing that letter, Lance? Do you think I enjoyed hurting you? Do you think I wanted to choose between you and my friend?" she said, her voice strained with despair. "Because if you do, you really don't know me at all."
Lance frowned. "You're right. I don't know you at all."
Kay turned her gaze away, inconspicuously rubbing her eyes. "You weren't at Hogwarts with me," Kay spat out in a hurt whisper. "Or with Riley. You didn't understand how hard it was not to be able to talk and hang out with my best friend. You don't understand what it was like to have everyone in the school gossip about me behind my back. You don't understand how much it hurt to…to have nobody even try to understand our relationship. And do you blame them? The only person that ever even remotely saw us together was Riley. And look how well that turned out for us!"
Instead of some harsh retaliation like Kay expected, Lance fell silent, a brooding frown replacing the angry glint in his eyes. Eventually he spoke. "You're right," he said. "I wasn't at Hogwarts with you."
Kay stared at him blankly, uncertain what to believe.
"But do you know how hard that was for me? Not being able to be with you?" he questioned. "It physically hurt knowing I wouldn't get to see you every night like we were able to do over the summer. But I knew I was strong enough to wait until we could see each other next. Apparently, you weren't. You just wouldn't let me in, would you?"
Kay felt herself ready to burst into tears, but tried hard to suppress them. "You meant everything to me, Lance, and if there was anything else to do to make things work with Riley, I would have done it. But there wasn'tanything else. She hated the idea of you and me together so…so I had to end it. I just did what I thought I had to do." Her voice was full of desperation, her eyes clouded over with blurred shame.
Lance stared at her skeptically, uncertain what to believe anymore. It was clear she was hurting, but then again, so was he. Being around Kay physically and mentally ached him. Because all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and tell her how much he missed her, but he couldn't do that. She made sure of it. "You know what, Kay?" he said eventually, his tone calm and reassuring. "I'm glad Riley found out about us."
Kay didn't respond immediately, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. "What?" Kay exclaimed. "Where'd that come from?"
He shrugged dismissively. "I hated knowing we were keeping our relationship a secret," he admitted. "I knew why we had to do it, but I wanted everyone to know that…that I was falling for Kay Richards."
Kay wanted to smile and she wanted to cry. Just being in his presence brought back so many memories of them, memories she never wanted to let go of. She didn't want to say goodbye to him but from the basis of their conversation so far, that's exactly where it was headed. At that thought, she felt the tears glistening in the bottom of her eyelids. Too much damage had been caused and although Kay felt to blame, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of frustration for Riley.
"But now," Lance continued, when he saw the hesitance in her face, "The only thing everyone is going know about us is that…that it was just a big waste of time."
When Kay looked up she saw the disappointment and the hurt look on his face and all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sulk for the remainder of the break. "It wasn't a big waste of time for me, Lance," she argued, a look of grievance washing over her, trying hard not to let Lance see the tears about to fall. "I was falling for you, too. And-"
"Oh, well you showed it real well," he murmured.
She glared at him. "Breaking up with you was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. I-"
"Well, gee, then why'd you do it?" he snorted.
"Stop interrupting me, Lance, and let me finish!" she barked, making Lance jump back in surprise. She refused to let Lance reprimand her. If he couldn't understand that that hated that she had to choose between him and Riley, then she wouldn't stand there and try to make him. "I know we were only going out for a few months but those were the best months of my life. I hated being at Hogwarts away from you, but I went to bed every night dreaming of you and I woke up every morning with you the first thing on my mind. I thought of you while walking to class, wishing that the random students I passed were you smiling at me. I put off studying in order to daydream about us together. I spent hours writing letters to you because I missed you. Our time together, however short it was, meant the world to me! So don't you dare stand there and chastise me for not caring about you! Because all I ever did was care!" she cried, pointing her finger at him accusingly. She hesitated, glancing at the look of guilt on his face. He had taken a step back in surprise, his eyes filled with angst. She quickly continued, swallowing the tears away. "I-I hated being here at Hogwarts without you and most of all, I hated not being able to talk to you when Riley found out. All I wanted was for you to hold me and tell me that it was all going to be okay, but unfortunately you weren't there to comfort me. YOU WEREN'T THERE, LANCE! And maybe in the end that's why I did what I did. Maybe it was easier not seeing you. Maybe it was easier you not being there. But that certainly doesn't mean that breaking up with you was easy for me! Damnit, you weren't the only one hurt. I was hurt, too. I hated doing it but Riley is my best friend. While you meant the world to me, she, too, means everything to me. Why can't you understand that she had to come first? She had to! I've known her for six years! I'm sure you would have done the same thing in my damn situation! But you weren't there, Lance. You...you don't understand and...and I just can't stand here and try to make you understand," she continued shouting, ignoring the looks she was beginning to get. "All I can give you...is my sincerest apology. I'm sorry, Lance. I-I am. I hope you can one day forgive me because Merlin knows I will probably never be able to forgive myself."
With one last final glare at him, she whirled around and began to walk away, just as the tears started streaming down her face. She hated pouring her heart and soul out to Lance; she hated exposing her vulnerable side to the one guy she so badly wanted to understand but who obviously couldn't. She hated the way he made her feel so small; she hated feeling like she made a huge mistake. But most of all, she hated herself for hurting Lance.
She had only walked a couple of feet, when she heard Lance calling after her. "Kay!"
Kay didn't know what had possessed her to stop, but she did. She halted, only a few steps away from Lance, attempting to wipe away the tears stained on her face. She knew that Lance saw her crying, but she didn't care much for her pride anymore. She just wanted to make a clean getaway without further argument between the two.
When she thought she had wiped away every last straggling tear, she turned around and faced him with a look of rejection. "What?" she asked harshly, staring directly into his eyes in hope for some sort of clue as to why he called out her name.
He sighed, and with a slight hesitance walked towards her. "I was just wondering…uh…well…" he said awkwardly, turning his gaze upon the ground. "Uh…what…what are you doing tomorrow night?"
Kay stared at him in shock. "Er…what?"
"Well," he murmured, the tips of his ears turning pink, "Do you want to hang out tomorrow night?"
Kay continued to stare at him in disbelief. "What?"
Lance laughed and then did something that not only shocked Kay but shocked Riley and her family as they were heading over. He strode over to her hastily and bent down to kiss her.
When he pulled away, he laughed at the look on Kay's face.
She stared at him and then responded, "What?"
"I think this means he likes you," Riley whispered into Kay's ear as she closed in on them.
Kay gave her a look. "Y'know, I bet your car isn't fully packed yet."
"Oh believe me, I stalled my dad and Caleb as long as I possibly could," Riley murmured.
"She did," Caleb added. "She tried telling me that Sigourney Weaver was in the parking lot and wanted to meet me."
"It could happen!" Riley argued.
"Except Sigourney Weaver is in Egypt filming her next movie right now," Caleb explained.
Riley stared at him.
"I need to stop stalking her."
"Good idea," Riley teased, patting him on the shoulder.
"I'm glad you're Kay Richards," Riley's dad interjected, sticking out his hand to reintroduce himself. "Because if you weren't, you'd be hearing a lot about her."
"Dad!" Lance whined.
"Ohhh, so you talk about me a lot, do you?" Kay teased, glancing at Lance in amusement.
"A lot?" Mr. Gilmore intervened. "Please, you've been the only thing he's been talking about since you two…wait, I thought you two broke up?"
"DAD!" Lance cried out, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh sorry, am I not cool enough for your girlfriend?" he joked.
"Dad, I'd stop before Lance seriously considers strangling you," Riley interrupted.
Her dad laughed.
"I'm not kidding, Dad," she snickered.
"I guess that's my cue to leave," Mr. Gilmore pointed out with a guilty grin.
"I think your cue to leave was when they started snogging," Caleb explained.
"CALEB!" Lance shouted, giving him an irritated glare.
"And that's my cue to leave," Caleb laughed, grabbing his dad and wandering off towards the parking lot before Lance could smack him in the head.
"I see my work here is done," Riley grinned, glancing back and forth between Kay and Lance.
"So…you're okay with this?" Kay asked her nervously.
Riley shrugged. "I guess I'm going to have to be," she responded. "Look, you're my best friend and Lance is my brother. Obviously it's weird for me but…but all I want is for you to be happy, Kay."
"And you want me to be happy, too, right?" Lance teased.
"You poured honey in my underwear drawer over the summer," Riley replied. "I could care less about you."
"You had too many black thongs! It gives the wrong impression to guys," Lance whined.
"Exactly. That's why I have them," Riley grinned, ducking while Lance attempted to swat at her. "Besides, the last time I checked, you liked hearing the details of my personal life!"
"I do, I just don't like seeing it," Lance pointed out.
"Oh, of course," Riley replied sarcastically. "You just like seeing it on Kay."
"RILEY!" both Kay and Lance screamed out for all the platform to hear. None of them were surprised when a handful of people glanced their way.
Riley laughed, ducking again as both Kay and Lance made a motion to smack her. "Meet you back at the car!" she cried out, running away from them.
"So you never answered my question," Lance pointed out.
"What question?" Kay asked.
"Do you want to hang out tomorrow night?"
Kay glanced up at him curiously. "Are you sure?"
Lance winced. "Yes," he said sincerely, instinctively reaching over to brush a strand of hair from her face. "Look, Kay, you're right. I wasn't at Hogwarts so I have no idea what you and Riley went through. I know that you didn't want to have to choose and I'm sorry for making you feel guilty. I-I was just-"
"Angry?" Kay murmured.
He nodded. "Yeah. But not at you. At the situation. It just so happens to be easier taking it out on you."
The ends of Kay's mouth twitched upwards. "Well, I'm sorry, too. That…that it ended the way it did."
"It's in the past," Lance dismissed, shrugging it off. "Let's just…start fresh."
Kay smiled. "I'd like that."
"So, you've now avoided my question twice," Lance said slowly, giving her a look. "I feel as if I should be slightly offended."
"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you weren't still pissed at me!" Kay argued, smiling playfully. "The last thing I would want to do is spend my evening in a heated debate with you."
Lance slowly quirked an eyebrow, a sly smirk forming on his face. "Well, I could definitely do with the heated part."
Kay laughed, shaking her head incredulously. "Well, then," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders with a shy smile. "I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."
He grinned, pressing his lips firmly to hers. It sent a shiver down his spine, the feeling of her lips on his indelible. "Can't wait," he whispered.
Kay didn't say anything. She simply kissed him.
A/N: A little short but worth it, I think. Riley wonders about break without Sirius. Kay and Lance are back together and she finally got to explain herself to him. Not a LOT going on, but enough. Sorry there was no James or Lily in this chapter even if this is a L/J fic, haha, but I promise there is some Marauder action next chapter and even some Lily. Next chapter is somewhat intense actually and just keeps getting more intesne until my FAVORITE MOMENT IN THE WHOLE STORY OCCURS in a few more chapters, and it's NOT when James and Lily get together (well I like that too, but I have another favorite moment that i totally enjoyed writing!) Please review! I can't update for about a week because I'm going home for a few days but I'll do it when I get back.