Lily woke up in the morning to the sound of James moaning. The low tones were soft but tinged with pain. She herself felt numb, as if her body were a heavy, useless lump.

"James," she ventured. He didn't answer, so she repeated his name again. His eyes blinked open and his body convulsed slightly.

"Where am I?" he mumbled.

"The Hospital Wing," Lily answered. "Don't you remember?" James rubbed at his hazel eyes wearily and reached for his glasses that rested on the bedside table.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked cautiously. James winced and nodded gingerly.

"I'm fine," he lied unconvincingly. Lily rolled her eyes and he grimaced. "I think the pain-relieving potions wore off, but otherwise I'm fine. What about you?" He peered at her intently.

"Pain free," she smiled, purposely not telling him that she was nearly completely numb.

James sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The white hospital pajamas he wore hung loosely on his lean frame, their paleness emphasizing the slight flush on his thin cheeks. His normally rumpled black hair was messier than usual, wild tufts of hair fanning around his face. Despite the chaotic picture he presented, it was an appealing image to Lily.

She mentally slapped herself. It didn't pay to think about how, for the first time, and probably the last, she had spent the night with James Potter – though in separate beds. Things like that didn't matter to her. They couldn't.

James caught her eye and lifted a corner of his mouth in a smile. Lily forced herself to remain impassive.

Seemingly unconcerned, James stood up and stretched. Lily caught herself staring as his shirt lifted, revealing several inches of firm, muscled torso. She squeezed her eyes shut quickly.

"So," James said suddenly in a serious voice, "we need to talk about last night."

"What's there to talk about?" Lily muttered. "We still don't know anything."

"I know that you saved my life," he retorted, kneeling slowly beside her bed. His eyes burned into her and held her own captive.

Lily shook her head. "No I didn't. All I did was revived you."

"Not only did you revive me, but you stopped Wythe's killing curse. If not for you, I'd be dead right now," James insisted. He slipped his hand across the bed until it rested on Lily's own. Through the persisting numbness, she could still feel his light touch. "I don't know how to thank you for my life, but know that I am more grateful than you'll ever know."

Lily watched as his eyes grew bright and her heart softened.

"You saved me too, you know. I've never been under such pain as when I was under the Cruciatus. Let's call it even."

James picked up her hand and cradled it in both of his own. "You saved me twice last night. I'll never forget that." Then in one smooth motion he was sitting on her bed and lifting her up into his arms. He held her close against him in a tight hug. She laid her head weakly against his shoulder.

As the previous night played through her mind and the possible outcomes flashed before her, tears welled up in her eyes. If there had been only one misstep, one mistake, she or James, or both, could have been dead.

There had been times in her life that death had appealed to her, when she would have welcomed the respite it offered. Now, having faced it so directly, she recoiled from it. Despite the emotional turmoil that had constantly plagued her, she had a strong desire to live.

"Ahem," a quiet voice murmured politely. Lily looked up over James' shoulder to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway to the room. He was smiling slightly, though his blue eyes were serious.

James drew away, and Lily lay down quite suddenly and gracelessly. He looked at her in alarm.

"I'm fine," she promised. "Just a little weak."

James appeared unconvinced, but he quickly propped pillows up beneath her head so she could better see him and Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Headmaster," he greeted Dumbledore as he stood up from Lily's bed.

"Good morning, James, Lily," Dumbledore answered graciously. He conjured comfortable armchairs for himself and James and they both sat down.

"I realize you have neither eaten nor got dressed, but I wanted to speak with you immediately." James and Lily both watched him eagerly, ready for an explanation.

"It wasn't Wythe that you fought last night. It was a Death Eater under the disguise of a Polyjuice Potion." Lily breathed a quick sigh of relief. It was a terrible thought that a member of the Order, her own teacher, would have betrayed them.

"It seems that word got out that Wythe would be fighting the two of you last night, and on his way to the school he was attacked. Once the Death Eater retrieved the necessary ingredients to finish the potion, Wythe was left unconscious in the Dark Forest."

"Is he okay?" Lily interrupted.

"We have found him, and he has verified this story. His wounds were not serious, and he will be just fine," Dumbledore assured her.

"Why were we targeted?" James asked. "Why not another pair?"

"It could be chance," Dumbledore answered, "but I do not believe it was. It is my opinion that Voldemort has decided that the two of you make unusually formidable foes. I suppose that he thought that by having a Death Eater impersonate Wythe, he could easily be rid of you two. However, he still underestimated your power. Perhaps by separating you, he could have completed his task. Together, you were unbeatable."

He stopped to smile at them for a moment. "Again, I am very proud of both of you. What you did last night was extraordinary."

James caught Lily's eye and smiled quickly at her. It was a small smile, yet it sent chills down Lily's spine.

"What does this mean?" Lily asked quietly. "Are we going to spend our entire lives marked by Voldemort? Are we ever going to be able to live freely?"

Dumbledore sobered again. "Until Voldemort is defeated, I'm afraid you will remain his targets. It is up to you to decide how you choose to live with that knowledge."

Lily shifted uneasily.

"Why?" Her voice was a strangled whisper. She neither expected nor received an answer.

The three of them sat in heavy silence until Madam Pomfrey bustled in. She leveled James with a firm glare.

"You," she said, pointing a finger at him, "should not be out of bed." She gave Dumbledore a small look of displeasure before focusing on Lily.

"And you, dear, look exhausted."

Dumbledore stood up and the chair he had been sitting in disappeared.

"It was pertinent that I spoke with them," he told Pomfrey unapologetically. "But I will now leave so they can rest."

Once Dumbledore was gone, Pomfrey went through the motions of checking up on her patients. She fed Lily a blood-replenishing potion that immediately began to alleviate her numbness and sent life pulsating through her veins. James was given another pain-relieving potion and instructed to remain in bed.

"Can we at least have our clothes?" Lily requested, looking down at the bland white pajamas she too wore. "I feel subhuman in these things."

Pomfrey looked slightly miffed, but acquiesced. She disappeared into her office and soon a house-elf appeared bearing a change of clothing for each of them.

James lifted up the red striped shirt that had been brought for him and began to pull off his pajama top.

"James!" Lily protested, her pale cheeks finally regaining some color. He stopped, quirking an eyebrow. "Will you please draw the curtain?"

He shrugged and grabbed the curtain and quickly yanked it closed. Lily's head was spinning slightly, and not from the effects of the potion. She quickly slipped into a pair of comfortable gray pants and a white sweatshirt.

"Need any help in there?" James asked teasingly.

"I'm just fine, thank you," Lily retorted, running her fingers quickly through her tousled red hair. She stood up to open the curtain again, but swayed dizzily as she grabbed hold of the rough fabric.

James, seeing the curtain sway suspiciously, swept it aside quickly and reached out a hand to steady Lily.

"Sorry, I guess I stood up too quickly," Lily admitted, stepping away from his touch. He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Lily grimaced as another wave of dizziness swept over her.

I don't know how much more I can take of this, she thought. Or of him…

James shifted restlessly on the chair he was sitting in. He was going crazy being confined in the Hospital Wing. Yet, even if Pomfrey hadn't sentenced him to rest, he knew he would be in the room with Lily.

If only they could both leave, go outside for fresh air, talk to someone other than Dumbledore. He had too many thoughts going through his head and they were bouncing excitedly off the small walls he was trapped within.

He looked at Lily, who was still picking at the breakfast of eggs and toast that had been brought to them. Her cheeks were a light pink, a welcome change from the sickly white of the night before.

"I can't take this," he blurted out. She looked up at him, her eyes puzzled.

"Sitting in here!" He swept an arm up to demonstrate his point. "I need to get out."

Lily took in his tapping foot, his jittery countenance, and sighed.

"What can we do about it?"

James grinned as an idea popped into his head. "Let's leave," he suggested.

"What?" Lily shoved her food aside and stared at his in disbelief. "Pomfrey'd kill us!"

"Nah," James smirked. "She's too soft."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Did it ever occur to you that we're in here for a good reason?"

James shrugged. "C'mon, what's going for a walk going to do to us? Fresh air is healthy, remember?" When she remained doubtful, he stood up. "What happened to your sense of fun, Lils?"

"Fine," Lily groaned. "Lead the way. But when they ask what happened, I'm telling them you kidnapped me."

James just laughed. "Let's go," he urged, tugging her arm. They slipped out of the Hospital Wing and through the empty castle halls. All the other students were in class, easing their escape from the building.

It was uncommonly warm outside for late February. The snow was nearly gone, disappearing rapidly as the bright sun's rays beat down. James breathed deeply, letting the crisp, nearly spring air seep through his body. Next to him, Lily had raised her face to the sun, absorbing its energizing warmth.

"We better move before someone looks out a window and sees us," James cautioned. "Let's walk over beyond those hills." He pointed at rolling hills patchily coated with snow. The spots of bare ground were a dingy brown, but soon would be turning vivid green he knew.

They moved quickly under the cloudless blue sky until Lily was breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" James asked. They hadn't been walking long enough to justify exertion, especially not for someone as in shape as Lily.

Lily smiled weakly. "I'm tired. I don't know if I can make it much farther."

"Do you want to turn back?" James offered, though he didn't want to return to the castle so soon.

"No," Lily replied, attempting to breathe normally.

"Then lean on me," James suggested, wrapping an arm around her slender waist. Her body remained rigid for a moment, and then sagged against him. Slowly, with James bearing as much of Lily's weight as possible, they continued on their way.

They found a spot of bare ground, beaten dry by the sun, to rest on. There they sat, laughing and talking about everything other than the attack, Voldemort, and death. For those few precious hours, they were simply living, free of worry, unburdened by fear.

When Lily began to drift off, lulled by the sun's warmth, James knew it was time to go back. Even though he had wanted to leave the castle, at some point they would both need another dose of their potions, not to mention a meal.

Still, as Lily lay back against his chest, her breathing slow and even, James didn't want the moment to end. He ran his fingers through her soft red hair, entangling himself in it as if it would keep her forever close to him. For once, she neither stiffened nor pulled away. On the contrary, she relaxed more and more against him, until she was completely in his arms.

Regretfully, he slipped his fingers from her hair and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Can you make it back?"

Lily shook her head softly, tilting her neck so she was looking up at him. She smiled peacefully.

"Can't we stay here?"

"Forever?" James joked.

"Forever?" she repeated, her voice wistful. "Wouldn't it be nice?"

Yes.

Instead of answering, James stood up slowly, lifting Lily with him. He cradled her loosely in his arms and turned back towards the castle.

By the time they were at the castle doors, Lily was once again nearly sleeping and James could feel twinges of pain pulling at his gut.

"I have to put you down," he told her. "I can't open the door otherwise."

Lily swayed sleepily on her feet and he linked his arm with hers to hold her steady. He pushed the door open and led her through it.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey stood in the Entrance Hall before him, both with hands on their hips and eyes flashing.

"Where," McGonagall demanded frostily, "have you been?"

"We were..." James began to explain, but was unable to finish.

"Do you realize what has been going on at the castle for the past few hours? We have been conducting a complete search of the castle and grounds for you two. We contacted outside sources to look for you. We were afraid that Voldemort had attacked you again!" McGonagall shook with fury. Even her tight little bun wobbled.

"Instead we glance out the window and see that you had apparently decided to go on a little walk, without telling anyone, against Madam Pomfrey's direct orders! And you two are the Head Boy and Girl! What were you thinking?" By this point McGonagall's voice had become a shrill shriek.

"We just…"

"To the Hospital Wing! Now!" McGonagall choked. Madam Pomfrey took Lily's free arm and began marching to the Hospital Wing. As his arm was still in Lily's, James was pulled along as well.

Behind them, he could hear McGonagall still muttering furiously.

"I must go tell Dumbledore to refrain from contacting the Ministry…"

The Ministry? James gulped. Apparently their jailbreak had been more serious than he had thought.

Hey everyone! I hope you liked this chapter – let me know what you thought by dropping me a review. I love hearing from you! – Rochelle