Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

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In the few hours after Sirius finally confessed his love for Marlene a number of things happened that would wrap up the tragic events that had occurred in that one long night. They had all known the night was going to end eventually, it had just stretched on longer than they had thought. The worst of it was that they didn't even really know what had happened. Dumbledore was choosing to be secretive. He had his reasons of course, as he always did, but some couldn't help but feel like it was all for nothing.

The group mourned a bit of course, sitting in a circle on the floor of Hogwarts, not saying a word. The nurse had let Marlene leave after she promised to stay mostly immobile. She had returned to her friends, getting engulfed by numerous arms as soon as she did. She shared a significant glance with Lily who nodded to inform her that, yes, she was okay. Her little spell of sickness from earlier had passed. That's when they all hiked to the seventh floor, opened up the fabled Room of Requirement and just held hands for a little while.

On the outside several people left to clean up the destroyed streets, repairing houses and such. Little Caroline was reunited with her parents along with the rest of the children. Her mother picked her up and told her how very proud she was that her darling girl had been so brave. Caroline promptly told her mother that she found whom she was going to marry and that his name was Sirius. Rachel had chuckled and made sure that Caroline was still wearing her pink slippers before leaving.

The teachers began to prepare for their classes though they were all ready to collapse. There was still school to teach. McGonagall found it amusing how normal life could be after a night so hectic. Dumbledore, however, got back into the swing of things quite quickly. He began to make decisions about the next school year as well. He even considered trying to find a Divination teacher. Perhaps the children would have fun with it.

Next the group of Marauders minus one along with their honorary Marauder friends decided it was time to go home. Some decent sleep was in order.

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The sky was finally coming to a color that signaled daytime; though it was not the cheery blue that usually adorned the chilled early November sky. It was a deep grey, nearly murky. Everything appeared dull and lifeless, drooping. Billowing clouds of a somewhat lighter color crowded the great expanse as well. The patches of grass had become a sickly green and the trees with their normally full branches were bare.

Lily took a tentative step outside, her feet cold against the cement of the patio. She wiggled her toes a bit, getting used to the somewhat familiar feel. She always used to love running around in the rain, without shoes on of course. She'd be sick for days afterwards. Those adventures gave her the worst of colds that left her sniffling and coughing without end, but she never really cared. That feeling of…freedom that she got from running and dancing beneath the tumbling drops made it all worth it.

Lily hadn't done it in…ages. It must have been the summer before her seventh year that she did it last. She could remember her parents sitting on the porch, safe beneath a nice awning, watching her skip and jump and leap down the street. Her long red locks had stuck to her face, a pleasant feeling. The asphalt was nice and slick, its grainy texture feeling comforting beneath her hopping toes. Lily remembered smiling so wide that her cheeks ached. Her eyes had stung with all the raindrops that had fallen in them as well.

Lily could picture her parent's faces so clearly then. Their bright shining faces as they sat in front of the house as it rained. Her mother was the one she had inherited her fiery hair from though unlike her daughter, Karrie Evans wore her red locks nice and short, just brushing her chin. It suited her and her large round blue eyes. It was Karrie's eyes that Petunia gained. Lily's mom was the mom who had wrinkles around her eyes from smiling and lines around her mouth from laughing just as much.

It was Lily's father that passed his studiousness onto her. His hair was pale and thin thought he was not yet balding. He wore large square spectacles that Petunia loved to parade around the house in. He was quiet and gentle, the kind of person Lily could always talk to on a highly intellectual level. His eyes were the emerald almond shaped orbs that lay on her own face.

People had always found how similar the Evans' looked humorous. They had all the same features, just switched around a bit. Seeing the whole family together made it obvious, but if one were to see Petunia and Lily together the similarities would be few. They were nearly opposites after all, both in looks and mannerism.

As Lily stood outside her house she imprinted that picture of her parents into her mind. They were both smiling and talking together and everything was lovely and serene. It was almost too perfect. She squeezed her eyes shut, nearly to the point of hurting. She didn't want to forget. If there was one moment she'd like to remember with her parents it was that one. Lily breathed in deep, taking in the fresh scent of the soon to come rain.

It was fitting, she decided. After so much hurt and pain the sky was going to cry. The strange part, however, was that the only one who had died was a man on the wrong side. Regulus was dead. Lily didn't even know how Dumbledore knew seeing as they never found a body. She glanced up at the sky again noting the swirling clouds and remembering the glowing green image that had shown there before.

When the first drop fell from the clouds and landed right atop her petite nose, she crumbled. Instead of jumping up and dancing she collapsed to the ground and sobbed, her tears mingling with the rapidly falling rain. After several minutes she stood, swiped her hands beneath her eyes, and walked inside.

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"Favorite fruit?"

"Apples, I love apples. You?"

"Grapes, my grandma used to make popsicles from the ones growing on the vine in her backyard."

"Homemade grape popsicles?"

"Hmm,"

Silence followed. A glance at the scene shows this group of people splayed out on the ground, various limbs draped across each other. A foot on someone's leg, a head on someone's stomach, and several tightly clasped hands. There were the seven of them as usual. Lily, James, Marlene, Sirius, Remus, Alice, and Frank all piled in the Potter's living room. It was just like in their Hogwarts days. They were bundled up as well, in various coats and scarves lent to them, courtesy of Dumbledore. As soon as they had arrived at James and Lily's no one had any desire to do anything but collapse on the floor. So they did after a few minutes of mindless wandering and Lily's memories in the rain.

The only voices sounding in the room were those of Sirius and Lily. They had taken to asking questions again. It was but a small comfort. Nostalgia was thick in the air, nearly tangible.

"What are we doing?" Lily suddenly asked out of the blue. She shifted her head a bit against James shoulder. No one answered for a while, taking their time to respond.

"What do you mean?" Remus finally asked, a sigh evident in his voice. They were all weary.

"Why do we put ourselves through this?"

"What is 'this' exactly? "Alice asked. She sounded genuinely confused.

"This pain and this…heartache,"

"I don't understand," Marlene noted.

"We chose to be aurors, we chose to be members of the Order. We chose that, and for what? Tragedy after tragedy?"

More silence. For the longest time not a person spoke. It was hard to digest what she was saying. It was Lily after all, Lily who had dreamed so brightly of becoming a daring auror in their seventh year. Her sudden moment of…doubt was slightly terrifying. It wasn't' often that she questioned the things they did. The thought she put into her decisions made it so that she didn't have to. She did things for the right reasons and in the right way.

"I know why," Alice finally spoke, her voice, though small, nearly echoed through the room.

"Please tell me," Lily said, her lip quivered a bit and her eyes prickled. James' arm wrapped around her shoulders more tightly and Marlene's hand in her own squeezed a bit.

"We fight like this to make the world a better place. Not for us though. I'm not quite sure it will get better for us,"

"If we aren't fighting for us then who are we fighting for?" Sirius asked as he wrapped a strand of Marlene's hair around his finger absentmindedly.

His question hung in the air. Lily could hear James' heart beating beneath her head. A steady thump, thump, thump. It was comforting, incredibly so and it always had been. She'd wake up at night sometimes, forehead slick with sweat and limbs shaking with fear from terrifying nightmares. She'd lay her head on his chest and squeeze her eyes shut tight, focusing on nothing but the sound of his steady breathing and working pumping heart. She'd be asleep in minutes and wake in the very same position.

"We're fighting for our family, our children," Alice finally said. It was as if she had been scared to say it earlier. As soon as the words fell out of her mouth Lily began to sob. Loud, shaky, shattering sobs that traveled through her whole body in little tremors.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over again. Everyone sat up wearily, confused at her reaction.

"Lily, you're okay," James spoke softly, rubbing her back.

"I feel horrible, why would I even say something like that?"

"It's been a hard day, Sunshine, we're all worn out," Sirius said.

"It all just hurts so much," she sobbed.

"We know Lils, we understand, it's okay," Marlene spoke.

"All I've ever wanted was to have a family; a perfect happy little family to take to the park and feed dinner to. Now? Everything is so horrible out there."

"We have time Lils, we have time to make things better. It is why we're aurors isn't it, so we can have a family one day," James said comfortingly. It just made her sob even harder.

"Lily, you have to tell us what's wrong so we can help you," Alice pleaded, moving towards Lily on her knees. Lily had a feeling that Alice knew exactly what was wrong.

"I'm pregnant!"

The words tumbled out of her mouth and suddenly James was there, taking her face in his hands and kissing her. It was full of love and…something else. Lily thought it might be happiness. He pulled back, close enough that their foreheads were still touching. His hazel eyes sparkled beautifully, the brightest she had seen them in months. He raised his hand to her cheeks and wiped away the stray tears with the pad of his thumb. The callused feel of it calmed her.

"Why are you crying, Lily?" He asked, his voice soft enough that only she could hear

"We don't have anymore time, James. We don't have anymore time to make things better," she murmured. Another tear dripped from her eyes, but he was quick to swipe it away. He pulled away from her fully, now kneeling in front of her.

"What do we need to make better?" he said. Sirius was instantly clapping him on the shoulder. His face was bright.

"He's right you know, congrats mate,"

"We already have all we need, Lils. We have a great home in a great neighborhood, we have plenty of money, and we have all the support we need," he said glancing around at all the smiling faces. "You shouldn't be sad,"

"Oh no," she denied. "I'm so happy, James. I've never been happier." More tears fell, but this time they seemed to be a good thing. "I'm just scared,"

"Of what, sweetie? We're here for you," Marlene said wrapping her arm around her.

"James is going to need all the help he can get after all," Remus said with a small chuckle. James punched him half-heartedly in the shoulder, still smiling brightly.

Lily was having a baby. His baby. He was going to be a dad. In nine months there'd be a little human with impossibly tiny hands and feet in his care. He could take the baby to Quidditch matches and feed it food when it was hungry. He could sit on the floor and tickle his stomach until he laughed. He…his. James was sure it was going to be a boy. He could only wish that the baby would have Lily's eyes.

"The world is a mess, this little baby," she said placing her hands on her still flat stomach, "they're going to grow up in this."

"Lily, we're just going to have to keep holding on,"

"To what?"

"Hope."

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This story is officially complete. Face the World Fighting was a story of love, loss, and support that stretched through a full thirty-six chapters and I want to thank you all for experiencing it with me. I realize this story is not perfect. In fact, it's quite flawed. I've developed though, I can tell just by re-reading the first chapter. To me that is the greatest accomplishment. This trilogy will conclude with Holding onto Hope. Both Lily and Alice will be in the later months of their pregnancy and the prophecy will just about to be made. Before it is written, however, I'm going to clean this story up, edit as many chapters as I can. It's Spring Break after all so I'll have the time. I'm going to schedule Holding onto Hope to come out the first Saturday of May (May 4th). That gives me a whole month of editing (Life of Lily as well).

IMPORTANT: If you wish to read Holding onto Hope you have two options, a) put me on your author alert so you will be alerted when I post the first chapter (I won't be posting any others between now and then) or b) review and inform me you'd like me to personally PM you when I post it.

I once again want to thank you all, especially those who have been with me from the beginning. Until May.

-Sweets5236