CHAPTER 21: The Lucky One
Someone, either a camera operator, reporter or guard was holding Lily back from getting to James. He was slowly curling into himself on the ground, cursing loudly for everyone to hear. Lily lunged against her captor as security evacuated the area quickly. Underneath a large man in a police uniform, Peter Pettigrew was struggling and to reach the gun that had been knocked from his hand. Lily was screaming unintelligible words, trying to pull from whoever was holding her back. James was on the floor, clutching his lower left side in pain, blood showing on his fingernails.
"Let me go!" she screeched to her jailor, "let me go! He needs me! Let me go!"
"Medic!" another person screamed right near her ear, "we need a medic!"
"Let me go!"
"Please," the guard holding her said, "we have to get you out of here."
"I'm not leaving him!"
Lily broke free of her restraints, the guard's fingernails scraping into her wrist as if to try and keep her away from James. Lily stumbled on the folds of her dress, falling to the carpet alongside James. Tears stained her face as she looked to where his hands were clenching his side. Blood was seeping from the wound, clearly. Lily grabbed the edges of her gown and covered the wound with the satin folds, holding pressure onto it.
"Fuck that hurts." James grumbled wretchedly and Lily leaned forward to stare into his eyes.
She crooned, "it's going to be okay, just hold on, baby, hold on."
James nodded, but he didn't answer as he was clenching his teeth. Lily allowed herself to lean off the pressure only for a moment to press a tearful kiss to his mouth. He was shaking, either from shock or loss of blood. She knew he must be anxious, and she held onto the folds of her dress tightly as she tried to stop the bleeding.
James had once asked her, in the middle of her New York loft, if their love would be as tragic as Romeo and Juliet. It had been a joke back then but now; Lily was feeling more like Juliet than she ever had in her life. She looked up to see Peter fighting against the bonds holding him and she suddenly wished he'd gotten the chance to shoot her too, because God forbid, she'd ever have to live in a world without James.
"Don't leave me," she begged James miserably as he started closing his eyes, "I'm sorry I fought with you last night, just please don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere," he took a shaking breath, "Except maybe jail, when I get my bloody hands on Pettigrew."
"I'm gonna kill him."
The sound of struggle overhead caught both Lily and James' attention. Pettigrew was belligerent, struggling against the hold of two guards. He had blood on his face, and he was spewing curses as they tried to pull him away from the carpet, which was being abandoned. Camera flashes were still going off, actors were trying to get to the fallen, and children were screaming around them. Suddenly, Lily was thrust back to the Manchester concert, only this time she didn't feel petrified.
Instead, Lily felt anger surge through her system. Pettigrew ruined the premiere; he'd given nightmares to people who'd once walked life freely without fear. He'd shot the love of her life, out of spite for Lily rejecting his proposals. Lily launched up from James' side, approaching the rat-like man with vengeance in her eyes. Pettigrew saw her coming at him and he immediately squealed in fright.
"You bastard!" she reached up with a hand to hit him, only for two guards to grab her and hold her back as she screamed bloody murder at Pettigrew, "you shot him! You're a traitor! What did I ever do to you? Bastard!"
"What did you do to me?!" Pettigrew spat back unkindly, "You ruined my reputation! You destroyed my business proposals! I made you famous! I could've made you live in infamy! But you wanted to fuck a cripple and leave the industry that gave you everything! I was aiming to kill you! But your stupid bodyguard was in the way, as usual!"
Lily was being held back by two strong men and she couldn't break away to strangle Pettigrew as she bawled, "You didn't do anything for me! You ruined your own life!"
"You fucked everything up," Pettigrew argued as cameras zoomed in on his struggle, "but this isn't over, it won't ever be over!"
Lily shook against her bonds, "What benefit would you have had by killing me?"
Pettigrew's face was pale as a ghost, "You're worth more dead than you are alive."
Taken aback, Lily settled back into her feet from her tiptoes. She felt her chest rise and fall as she processed his telling words. She felt her heart break with the realization that he truly believed that she was worth more to him dead, than she was alive.
"You've changed since we met," Lily said collectedly, "the Peter Pettigrew I met when I was a kid would've never said that."
He spat at her feet, "you never knew me, you were always too preoccupied with yourself!"
"I wanted everything for you!" Lily shot back, offended, "just like I thought you wanted everything for me! But you aimed a gun for my head!""
"You stupid girl," Pettigrew fought against the pull as security called for a cop car, "you think I was the one holding that gun to your head?"
"You were the only one holding the gun." she snarled, pointing at the handgun in a security guard's hand.
"And you're the only one wearing the crown," Pettigrew spat at her as they started lugging him away, "Who put that crown on your head, Evans?" he was frothing as they practically carried him off the carpet, "who put the gun in my hand?"
Lily was plunged back to the night she'd confronted Pettigrew at his apartment.
"He put that crown on your head, and he plans to take it off!"
Lily's blood ran cold as she realized what Pettigrew was telling her. Tom Riddle, Peter was telling her, Tom Riddle had put the gun into Peter's hand. Tom Riddle had somehow convinced Lily's ex-manager to kill her. Riddle had tried to take her crown, permanently.
The guards started pulling her away too, waking her up from her nightmare. She suddenly realized they were pulling her away from James' body on the ground. She started fighting again, putting all her strength into getting back to him. She stepped on one of the guards' foot and her heel sunk into his shoe, making him let go and cry out in pain. Lily used the leverage to rip herself from the second guard and stumble her way back to James.
She was shaking, all the way to her toes. She fell to the ground beside him, piling her hands on top of James' wound to help hold pressure. James at her, his hazel eyes flickering agonizingly.
"It's okay Lily," he promised, "I've had worse, I think."
"That's not funny."
"I just want to see you smile."
She gave him the tiniest smile that didn't reach her eyes. Lily's hands turned the color of his blood, painting her red, just like her nickname.
Red.
James has once mentioned that it was such an interesting color to correlate with emotion because it was on both ends of the scale. On one end there was happiness, falling in love, passion, all that. On the other end was jealousy, fear and frustration. That's why James thought the nickname fit Lily so well, because she was all of those things, wrapped into one.
Lily finally agreed with him.
Lily was jealous of her sister, who didn't choose anything but normalcy. She hadn't chosen to be their dad's superstar and instead Petunia got to live a normal, quiet life. She could go out to eat with friends without fear of paparazzi. She could date and marry whoever she wanted without her career being questioned. Petunia had the time to learn how to cook like their mother. Petunia had everything Lily wanted, including a husband who'd do anything for her.
Lily was scared that she'd always be fifteen-year-old Lily Evans, trapped in Tom Riddle's contractual grasp. Currently, Riddle was the reason she was bent over the love of her life, trying to help keep him from bleeding out. Tom Riddle had always been waiting in the shadows, playing Peter like a puppet to play her like a paper doll. Lily had allowed Peter to control her movements, her clothes and her life for too long.
Lily was frustrated that she'd let herself trust the wrong people, the decision ending so treacherously. She pressed down on James' injury, apologizing to him as he writhed to breathe. She couldn't tell what had been hit that was critical, but Lily knew that he was losing blood. Her tears mixed with the blood on her hands as she screamed out for someone to get the medics there faster.
"They're on their way," a guard said, "you should go."
"I'm not leaving him." Lily repeated for the fiftieth time that night as people swarmed onto the streets and police hovered over the theatre.
"Go, Red." James encouraged her, "I'll be okay."
"I'm not leaving you."
Lily was happiest when she was laughing on a park bench, thinking to herself about James' smile. She was happy when she wrote a new song about James that she was proud of. She was happy, when she was wrapped in James' warm arms under the sheets. She wanted to be that happy again, but it seemed impossible while she was trying to keep her happiness alive.
She'd fallen in love with James Potter singing in a car, getting lost upstate. If she was honest with herself, it might've been earlier than that. She'd felt a spark between them the very day they'd met when he carried her off the burning Manchester stage. Lily told him that she loved him, even as medics surrounded them and pushed her out of the way to start checking his vitals.
She was passionate about the man who'd stayed, the man bleeding for her on the ground. She pushed back into the medic's circle and grabbed his hand. James squeezed against her hold, reminding her that he was a fighter.
"How long has he been bleeding?" a medic asked the guard.
"At least ten minutes." the guard said, reaching out to grab Lily, "Miss Evans we have to go."
"No."
James was lifted into a structure and Lily grabbed his hand as soon as she could. She stumbled along with the gurney, kicking off her heels as she went. The carpet ended and her feet hit the cold cement outside of the venue. One guard tried to stop her, but Lily shook out from his grasp amongst the crowds. She started climbing into the back of the van that James was pulled into, but a medic stopped her with one arm.
"I'm sorry miss, but who are you?"
"Lily Evans." another medic, a woman, recognized her, "shouldn't you be leaving?"
"I'm going." Lily said determinedly, "I'm going with him."
"Are you his family?" the female medic examined Lily, "only family can come to the hospital."
"I am his family."
"She can come." James said loudly, "I want her here."
The male medic moved, allowing enough space for Lily. Lily climbed into the back of the ambulance without help. Her skirts filled up half the back of the van, but she ignored the piled fabric as she squeezed James' hand while the female medic applied pressure to the bullet wound. Lily lifted James' hand to her mouth and kissed it, tears still falling from her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered sadly, "I never wanted to hurt you."
"Red," he hissed in pain as the female medic started messing with his wound, "you couldn't ever hurt me."
"I got you shot." Lily was practically sobbing, "Peter shot you because of me."
"Well he's a shoddy shot." James scoffed good-humoredly, despite the pain in his eyes.
The female medic whistled as she examined the wound, "I think it's lodged in your hip."
"Again," James breathed, "a shoddy shot."
Lily placed her head on their connected hands, "I love you, James."
"Everything's—everything's fine." He assured her, wincing as the medic attached him to an IV, "don't worry about me, okay?"
Lily's lip wobbled as she looked into his face, writhing with pain, "I always worry about you."
"I'm fine." He promised, "it just hurts like Hell."
Lily's lip wobbled dramatically, "I'm not leaving your side until they tell me you're going to surivive this."
"I—I love you." His eyes were fluttering shut, "I never stop thinking about you. The way you smile. Your hands. Your voice."
"James," Lily leaned forward as his eyes drifted in and out, "Don't you dare leave me!"
"It's okay," the female medic assured her softly, "it's the drugs, he's okay, just passed out."
James dropped unconscious, his hand limp on her own. Lily struggled to hold it together as she kept her hands clasped in his. He'd promised after the premier that he'd never let go of her hand again. She prayed he still meant that.
They got out of the car and Lily followed the medics as they rolled James into the Hospital. It was like a scene in a movie as Lily rushed after James, sterile hospital walls closing in on her like prison walls. She could feel her heart constrict as James was pushed through double doors that she was pulled away from by a nurse in a purple uniform.
"Miss, doctors and nurses only in surgery."
"But my—he needs—I need to be with him." Lily pulled against the nurse's firm grip, "please!"
"Ma'am."
Lily twisted to face the nurse. She had pretty lavender hair that settled just at her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she took in Lily's full appearance. Lily suddenly became very aware that she was still in a ballgown and barefoot, covered in blood.
"Lily Evans?" The nurse tilted her head before noticing the blood all over Lily and her gown, "you need to see a doctor."
"No, I need to be with him, please." Lily begged the nurse, who was now inspecting Lily's bloodied arm, "please, he'll wake up and worry if I'm not there."
"Miss Evans, please," the nurse said firmly, "you need stitches on that wound on your arm, and that ball gown is covered in blood. Come clean up and then I promise, I'll let you see him once he's out of surgery."
"Surgery?" Lily's heart accelerated, "surgery on what?"
The nurse shrugged, "what happened to you both? Why are you in such nice clothes?"
"It was a premier," Lily said as the nurse slowly dragged Lily to a chair near the nurse's station, "he got shot."
Pity reflected in the nurse's blue eyes, "were you shot?"
Lily shook her head.
"What happened to your arm?"
"I don't know, I cut it on something when James—when he—when he pushed me out of the way."
"You're here alone with him?" The nurse pulled gloves from her pocket and started inspecting Lily's arm, "I'm Amy, by the way, Miss Evans."
Lily wiped her cheeks with her hand as she choked on her words, "I'm sorry for crying, I'm just—"
"You're in shock, Miss Evans," Amy said as she flagged down another nurse passing by, "let us help clean you up and then you can wait for your—for the man to get out of surgery."
Lily allowed Amy and several other people to take care of her bleeding arm. It hurt like hell as they stitched up the wound. Lily was given a hospital gown to replace the blood-soaked gown. Lily stood in the gown, shivering, as a doctor gave her a full physical and then released her with pain meds for her arm.
Lily sat in James' assigned room, fretfully waiting. They'd had to do surgery to remove the bullet fragments. The nurses assured her that he'd be out soon, but she was still anxious as she waited. What if something went wrong? After all, the bullet had lodged in his hip, that was bad, as far as Lily understood.
As Lily waited, she texted Sirius to let him know that she was okay. After convincing Sirius that she was okay, she called her father. Her dad was already looking up flights to New York. Samantha called right after Lily hung up with her father, panic in her voice.
"Oh, thank God." Samantha breathed a sigh of relief when Lily answered, "where are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm at the hospital." Lily whispered into her phone, "James is in surgery. I'm okay. Just worried about him."
"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Samantha swore, "Disney released a statement, but I just got off the phone with Piper'sdirector. He told me that you disappeared from the scene. The premier is on every channel and no one knows if you're alive or dead. It's a mass panic right now."
Lily cursed, "I'm sorry Samantha, this is such—will you release a statement that I'm okay? I didn't get shot. I'm sorry I didn't call you right away. I just couldn't leave James, I got into his ambulance when they took him away. Peter Pettigrew-he shot him-he shot James, and I just couldn't leave him."
"Wait, Peter Pettigrew did this?" Samantha breathed into the phone with skepticism, "why?"
"Pettigrew said that Tom Riddle made him do it." Lily wiped at her tears with her arm.
"He said that?" Samantha sounded angry, "I'm going to kill them both!"
"What do we do?" Lily asked Samantha, "there were videos and cameras filming Pettigrew's confession."
"He confessed Riddle made him do it on camera?" Samantha sounded even more surprise.
"He didn't say Riddle's name." Lily confessed, "he insinuated."
"Okay, I'll be there soon" Samantha sounded like she was racing down a flight of stairs, "I'll send out a statement as soon as I get over there with a hug and make sure you're okay. Do you need anything? Food? Clothes? Makeup wipes? You know what, never mind, I'll just stop at Walmart and get what I can."
Lily had never been more grateful for asking Samantha to be her manager than in that moment, "See you soon."
"Bye."
Lily hung up on Samantha only to answer the phone when Frank called not even two minutes later, "Frank?"
"Are you okay?" Lily heard someone else yelling in the same room as Frank, it sounded like Alice, "is James okay? We just saw the news-"
"We're both okay," Lily told Frank, "how's Alice?"
Frank laughed sardonically and said off receiver, "she's worried about you."
Lily heard Alice's voice, "Put me on speaker."
Frank came back on, "Lily, you're on speaker."
"You just had a shooting at your premier and you're worried about me?" Alice sounded as strong as always, "Lily Evans, when I get off of bed rest, I'm going to smack you."
"Alice, I wasn't shot," Lily danced in one spot, "just focus on getting better soon, okay?"
"I'm fine." Alice scoffed and Lily could imagine her rolling her eyes.
Frank spoke up next, "is James okay?"
"He got shot," Lily explained, "they said he needed surgery."
"Fuck," Frank cursed, "it was his last night."
"I know," Lily whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed near the window, "I know."
"What happened?"
"Peter Pettigrew tried to shoot me." Lily continued on despite Alice's immediate outrage, "James pushed me out of the way and got shot instead."
Lily stifled her sobs by holding her free hand over her face. The room was empty, save for her, but the door was open, and Lily did not want someone to come check on her. On the other end of the phone, she imagined Frank and Alice sending each other worried looks as Lily struggled to breathe.
"Lily," Frank said firmly, "what house are you at? Still East Village?"
"I wish I were in Lake Placid." Lily said resentfully, "but we've been at the loft."
"I'm headed there now, I'll take over surveillance there." Frank promised, "Okay?"
"Yes."
"And Lily?"
"Yeah?"
"You should call James' friend Minerva." Frank said, "so she doesn't panic. This video on the tellie is very unclear. It looks like you were both shot."
Lily couldn't believe she hadn't thought to even text Minerva, "I'll text you when I know James is okay."
A nurse appeared in the doorway just as Lily typed in Minerva's name to her phone. Lily jumped up from her bed, her eyes hopeful.
"Lily Evans?"
Lily put the phone down, "Is he doing okay?"
"He's in recovery," the nurse soothed, "they're bringing him here, so you two can be together. He'll have to stay overnight for observation."
Lily's hands twirled with the fabric of her hospital gown as the nurse shifted Lily's bed against the wall. Just as the nurse was asking Lily if she wanted any food, another nurse started pulling a bed through the doorway. Messy black hair clashed against a stiff hospital pillow.
"James!"
Lily rushed to his bedside and grabbed his hand, feeling it was colder than usual.
"He's heavily drugged," the nurse warned, "he had substantial blood loss as well as damage inflicted to his hip area, but the doctor got all the bullet fragments out."
The nurse left, promising to be back in an hour for IV fluids. Lily climbed into the bed next to James, snuggling up to his warmth. If he woke up, it wasn't longer than a second. Lily laid by his side, only getting up with the nurses came to check on him. She called Minerva, Sirius and her family to tell them James was alive. Minerva was flying out to New York on the first flight available.
Samantha showed up with a laptop, her now red braids in a bun on top of her head, and a few bags filled with supplies for Lily. Lily jumped up from her chair and ran over to her friend, turned manager, throwing her arms around the short black woman. Samantha dropped one of the bags on the ground and hugged her back as Lily promptly broke into tears in Samantha's hold. Samantha immediately dropped her other bags and drew Lily up into a tighter hug.
"Go ahead and cry, Lily." Samantha urged, "you've been hurt, and you need to cry."
"I almost lost him, Samantha," Lily cried into Samantha's shoulder, "I was so scared."
"Looks like he's okay now," Samantha soothed Lily, rubbing her back, "we can work together, while we wait for him to wake up. I brought you some pizza and clothes."
Lily nodded and pulled back from Samantha's arms, wiping her wet eyes. Samantha gave Lily a toothless smile before bending down to pick up one of the bags and press it into Lily's grasp.
"There's a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt in here, I also got you a bra and underwear."
Lily could've kissed Samantha as she slipped into the loo to change. She ripped the tags off the clothes, enjoying the fact that Samantha had ironically gotten her a sweatshirt with roses all over it. Lily motioned to the clothes as she exited the loo.
"Did you pick these on purpose?"
Samantha looked up from where she was sitting on the floor, eating a slice of pizza from an open box. Lily settled down next to her manager and took a slice from the box for herself. Samantha smiled when Lily sent her a thankful gaze.
"It was those, or ugly-old-lady sweatpants." Samantha said, "but I thought you'd appreciate the roses."
"I do," Lily said, "and I appreciate you coming right over."
"I'm your manager," Samantha said, "so I'm here to manage you."
"You're already the best manager I've ever had."
"Hard competition," Samantha rolled her eyes, "since the last one just tried to shoot you."
Lily chewed thoughtfully on her pizza as she stared across the room to where her bloodied premiere dress was hanging off the spare bed. The premiere felt like it was ages ago, instead of a few hours. Samantha typed quickly on her laptop, clearly already in work mode. Lily leaned over the pizza box to look at the screen and saw Samantha was typing a statement.
"Official statements aren't normally very personable," Samantha said as she typed, "perhaps your best course of action would be to take to tumblr and tell your fans that you're okay."
Lily nodded as she picked a strand of thread from her new clothes, "what about Riddle and Pettigrew?"
"What about them?" Samantha looked at Lily, "you don't want to talk about him?"
"No," Lily said, "I just don't know how to break the news."
Samantha sensed there was more, so she paused her typing, tilting her head at Lily. Lily chewed on her bottom lip, glancing over at James' sleeping body in the bed. The TV over their heads was on the discovery channel, playing a movie about ocean animals. The sound of the television was strangely calming as Lily took another piece of pizza.
"What aren't you telling me?" Samantha asked, "what's wrong?"
Lily picked off a pepperoni off the pizza, "Pettigrew said something, right before they dragged him off to a police car…"
"What did he say?"
Lily looked up from her pizza worriedly, "that I was worth more alive than dead."
Samantha scratched her chin, "why would he say that with cameras on?"
Lily's forehead wrinkled, "do you remember the night we confronted him at his place?"
"Peter?"
"Yeah." Lily put down the pizza nervously, "he told me that Tom Riddle put the crown on my head and Tom Riddle would take the crown away."
Samantha's fingers rested on her laptop as she flinched, "I remember, why does that matter?"
Lily looked directly into Samantha's grey eyes, "Peter said that the man who put the crown on my head-put the gun in his hand."
Samantha's lower lip pointed out as she processed what Lily was saying, "so Tom Riddle wanted to kill you? Why?"
"I don't know," Lily admitted, "he has my albums, he has the record company...what good could come from killing me?"
Samantha shook her head, "you need to call your lawyer, this changes everything."
"What can Albus do?"
"You're going to have to go testify in court for Peter's case," Samantha explained, "if I could bet money on it...Peter's going to plead not-guilty. Peter's going to say that Riddle forced him to shoot you, for whatever reason. Riddle will be brought in to testify and you're going to be the person who can lock Riddle up, for good. Shut down his company. Save other people from meeting the same fate as you. Albus will know what you should say when it's your turn to testify."
Lily pushed her hair back from her face, "you think this will make Riddle lose everything?"
"I think we just found a loophole for how to get your albums back." Samantha said, "never mind what happens to Pettigrew."
Lily nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest, "and if it fails?"
Samantha sent her a sad look, "if it fails then you can bet your arse I won't stop working tirelessly until we've found a way for you to get those rights back."
Lily smiled at her manager warmly, "thanks Samantha."
Her manager nodded and turned back to her computer, sighing deeply, "time to send out the announcement."
Lily pulled out her phone, "I'll write to my fans."
"Leave anything about Pettigrew and Riddle off of it," Samantha warned Lily, "Let them dig their own grave, okay? And make sure to mention that Disney's just announced that the Piper release will be pushed forward into next year."
Lily looked up from her phone swiftly, "they canceled the movie release?"
"They are a business," Samantha shrugged, "they don't want the shooting to affect the box office numbers."
"Right," Lily muttered, "of course."
Lily sighed as she started typing on her phone without even bothering to see how her fans were handling the insane night. Her fingers glided across the keys as she explained what had gone down at the Piper premiere.
To my loving, beautiful and strong fans,
It breaks my heart to be writing another personal note to you guys. I feel like all I ever bring you guys is bad news and heartbreak. I'm hoping and praying this is the last time that happens. There was a shooting at the Piper premiere and an attempt on my life. Luckily, James Potter was there to keep me out of harm's way. He was shot, pushing me out of the way of the attack. I'm relieved to say that my boyfriend, my hero, breathes softly across from me in a hospital bed, just out of surgery to remove the bullet fragments. I am doing okay, just shooken up. I owe my life to James, yet again, and I intend to pay him back for the rest of it by loving him forever and always. I want to thank all of you for staying supportive of me as I've navigated life. You all radiate absolute starlight and keep me happy in the darkest of nights. I hope that in such a trialing time, we remember to hold each other a little closer. I'd like to thank the security teams and medical professionals who have gone out of their way to provide James and I with the best possible care. As soon as James is well enough to travel, we'll be taking a long, much needed, vacation. Piper's release has been postponed to the new year, sometime in January.
All my love,
Lily
Samantha made herself a tumblr and reblogged Lily's post, adding that more information would be released in the morning. The two girls then got to work on Lily's next goal: finding a cottage in England to move into. Samantha was up to the task, finding at least twenty possible units in less than twenty minutes. Lily scrolled through each possibility on her phone until she landed on a name she recognized.
"Saddleworth."
She clicked open the link and scrolled through the photographs. The cottage wasn't actually in London, just outside. It had five bedrooms and three baths spaced between the home. There was a beautiful white kitchen with all the appliances colored blue, like the ocean. Lily loved how one of the bedrooms was painted as a nursery and she was in love with the garden out behind the cottage. Lily showed it to Samantha, and she scrolled through herself.
"I love this," Lily told Samantha, "I want to sell Malibu and offer above asking price for this home."
"Okay," Samantha pulled up Lily's bank statements, "it's within a reasonable budget too, but I'm sure it needs security and a few upgrades."
"That's fine," Lily said, "I want this cottage, it'll be close to Annie's gym for James and close to London for me."
Samantha clicked through the links to send the sellers a message, on behalf of Lily. While Samantha dealt with the house business, Lily started texting all her fellow actors from Piper. Everyone was relieved to hear she was okay, including Rose Leslie, who was offering Lily well wishes from her flight back home to England. Lily made sure to text all the directors, producers and managers to thank them for postponing the Piper release. They all wished James a speedy recovery, each one of the Burbank producers remembering James fondly.
Samantha didn't leave past four in the morning, and she only left because Sirius had arrived with some scones and hot tea. Lily and Sirius fell asleep together on the spare bed, Sirius hugging her tightly. They both kept waking up when the nurses walked in to check on James. Sometime around eight in the morning, a doctor came into the room to dress James' wounds. They cleaned Lily's stitches again too, telling her it was better to be safe than sorry.
Sirius stayed with Lily until noon, when he got a call that he had to take concerning jobs. He told Lily that he was trying really hard to come up with a plan that wouldn't take him away from producing for Lily. If he went to a large company, there was a chance he wouldn't be allowed to produce for anyone who wasn't under contract with that company.
"I don't want to take a job anyplace that doesn't let me produce for you," Sirius had said, "I love working with you."
"I like working with you too," Lily hugged her best friend before he left, "but don't pass up a good job offer for me, okay?"
Sirius kissed her cheek before he left, telling her to text him the moment James was awake. She promised Sirius she would and then made her way over to where James was still sleeping. She glanced at the clock to see that he'd officially been out for about fourteen hours. The hospital staff seemed unconcerned, stating he'd gotten a lot of drugs for the pain, so Lily waited.
She flipped through channels as she talked to her lawyer on the phone. Peter was being charged that morning and Lily was expected to be in court next week to testify against him. Peter's own lawyer was apparently claiming what Samantha had already suggested: Tom Riddle forced his hand. Albus was sure that there wouldn't be a long ordeal and that Peter would be in jail without bail for a very long time.
"But what about Riddle?" Lily asked as she settled down deeper beside James in his hospital bed, "what if he did force Peter to do it?"
"That man has a history of getting himself out of trouble," Albus warned Lily, "I know you'll want justice, but I can't promise that's what this will lead too."
"I just want my albums back." Lily told Albus, "is there any way this court case will help?"
"It certainly won't hurt." Albus said, "but the merger was official as of midnight last night, even with Peter's attempt on your life, Marauders Records still became part of Great Goods Entertainment."
Lily curled up to James, shoving the phone between her ear and the pillow, "I'll come to the hearing next week," she told Albus, "but that's it, okay? I want to go home."
"I understand Miss Evans," Albus sounded sympathetic, "I will do my best to keep you out of this case as much as possible, but Mr. Potter is the one Mr. Pettigrew shot and he will be expected in court as soon as possible."
"That's fine," Lily brushed her hair back, looking at James wearily, "I'll pay all the fees, your team, whatever it takes to win."
Lily hung up with Albus and turned her full attention on James. He was snoring softly, his face twitching as he breathed. The nurses thought he'd already woken up once or twice but was too tired to stay up. She just wanted him to wake up again for longer than two seconds. Lily needed his reassuring smile and warm hands to cover hers.
"I love you."
She brushed her hands through his hair, her fingernails scratching his scalp affectionately. Her other hand reached over his chest, letting her melt into his form. She wasted time by watching random shows on TV. It was while she was watching HGTV that James shifted at her side and very suddenly pulled her hand to his face.
She almost climbed on top of James; she was so excited to see him awake. He laughed as she kissed every inch of his face, before settling on his mouth. He kissed her back sweetly, his mouth preforming just as much push and pull as her own.
When she pulled back from him, she didn't go far. Her forehead stayed rested on his, her hands grasping at his hospital gown. Lily shifted beside him, giving them both more room on the bed. Her hair tangled between his fingers as she looked him up and down amorously.
"Alright Evans?" he croaked when she still hadn't said a word.
Lily did something halfway between a laugh and sob, leaning back in to kiss him again. She was so close, the hand pressed around his neck for support could feel his pulse quicken under her touch. Lily didn't care that they were in a hospital, or that anyone could walk through the door at any minute. James was here and he was kissing her, and he was alive.
"Don't ever scare me again." she murmured against his mouth, "not ever."
James hummed underneath her, taking in a deep breath with his nose as he angled her chin with his hands. Lily couldn't get enough of him as the kissing settled between sweet kisses and a sultry snog. Her mouth tasted every corner of his mouth, then every corner of his face, until she abruptly straddled his hips and he called out in pain.
"Red!"
"Fuck!" she quickly stumbled back off him, panting as her bare feet landed on the cold tile floors, "James, I forgot! I'm sorry!"
James' eyes were closed, and he hissed, "it's fine."
"It's not fine, what if I hurt you more?" she covered her face, "let me go get a doctor!"
James grabbed her hand before she could run off, "no, come back to bed...just stay off my hips, yeah?"
Lily had no willpower, so she did as James asked and slowly climbed back into the bed, being careful to lie next to him and not on top of him. James was quiet for a few minutes and then he let out a deep sigh before brushing her red hair from her eyes. Lily pitifully whimpered and buried her face into his neck.
"Saved your life again, dinnit I?" he sounded so pleased with himself.
She gave him a watery smile into his neck, "one of these days, I ought to try saving your life."
"You already did, Red." He murmured, "from the moment we met, you reminded me that life was worth living."
Lily cuddled into him, "how did I get so lucky, to find my soulmate in the middle of a concert?"
"We ought to write Snape a thank you note." James chuckled when she pinched his side spiritedly, "okay, maybe not him."
Lily brushed back his hair adoringly, "James?"
"What?"
Her lower lip trembled, "you got shot, because of me."
James' face was stone, "I told you, I'd take a bullet for you."
"I didn't think you'd ever have to do it." she complained, eyes searching his face for a plan of abandonment, "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to break up."
"Lily Evans," he whispered fiercely, "I promised to never let go of your hand, and I don't plan on taking that back now."
She smiled faintly at him, "but I-"
"All of me," he reminded her, "for all of you."
She pressed her forehead to his once more, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tighter. They laid there silently for a while, just breathing in each other's arms. Lily felt at peace in his arms, despite everything. James always felt like coming home.
"I put in an offer for a cottage in England."
James touched her arm slightly, "you really want to leave the States again?"
"I have no record group for the foreseeable future." Lily reasoned, "if I need to come back to the States then I'll figure it out but right now the only place I want to be is with you and you've got to start your new job."
"My new job," James sighed, "Lily, I don't think I'll be running for a while."
"Maybe," Lily said, "but even so, Annie will want you home. Minerva wants you home. My family wants us both home."
James touched her face kindly, "I know you; you won't be able to give up singing forever, you love singing and your fans more than anything."
"Not more than you."
"Close equal." he pinched her arse, "but as much as I love my private concerts, Red, you'll miss singing to your fans too."
She sighed, knowing he was right, "we'll figure it out, but for now I'm staying by your side."
He kissed her temple, "I like you by my side."
"Even when I hurt you?"
"Just keep off me for a few weeks, maybe." he teased, hazel eyes twinkling.
"Well there goes my plans of shagging you senseless when we go back to our flat." Lily said sardonically.
James pinched her arse again, "I should specify…keep off my hips."
"That sounds a bit more manageable."
"Does it?"
They chuckled as they fell into another round of snogging, both of them not even looking up from their actions until a doctor cleared his throat and announced his presence. They couldn't stop snickering when the doctor finished his checks and left the lovers alone again. They snogged all night and between snogging, they talked about what happened at the premiere.
"So, Peter said that Riddle made him do it," James said as they ate some jell-o together, "interesting."
"Why?" Lily always loved James' insight to things, he was so critical.
James started shuffling a deck of cards so they could play hearts, "well, didn't your albums transition over to Riddle last night?"
"Yes."
James raised an eyebrow, "do you remember when Michel Jackson died?"
"Of course," Lily said, licking her spoon, "I loved his music."
"His music also stayed on the charts for a while after he died." James hit the deck on the bed table, "ever think that maybe Riddle wanted that money?"
"So," Lily tried to figure out what James was suggesting, "you think Riddle wanted me to die, so that he could get money off my albums?"
"You told me he was a madman with power," James shrugged, "doesn't that sound like something a mad man would do?"
"I guess," Lily waited for James to deal the cards, "but eventually, people wouldn't care about me."
"Did people stop caring about Jackson? Or Winehouse?" James pointed out, "No, which means Riddle could still race the horse, even after the horse was dead."
Lily considered that James had a solid point and that, perhaps, Peter had been persuaded to kill her. After all, it was obvious Riddle had been using Peter as a pawn for years, that much was certain.
Lily and James only stopped playing cards when someone walked through the door with flowers and a bag of caramel corn. Someone that neither James, nor Lily, expected so soon. Lily jumped up at the sight of the older woman and Minerva McGonagall gave both of them a watery smile. Minerva passed Lily the goodies, eyes only for the man stuck in the bed. James sat up, best he could, excitement in his eyes.
"Minerva!" he said merrily, "what are you doing here?"
The tall woman went over to James' bed and hugged him just as tightly as usual, her wrinkled hands pressing to his cheeks when she pulled away. Lily placed down the flowers and Carmel corn, clasping her hands in front of her as she watched Minerva inspect James closely. James tried to ease her worries.
"Minerva, I'm fine!"
"You scared me nearly half to death," Minerva snapped at him, her lips in a thin line, "Thank God, Lily had the decency to keep me updated, you didn't bother texting you were awake."
James gave his adopted mum a sheepish grin, "sorry, Minerva."
Minerva clearly loved him; she couldn't look away from him. She acted like Lily, as if James might disappear from the Earth and never be seen again. Lily walked over to Minerva, placing a hand on the woman's back supportively. Minerva touched her hand to Lily's, clearly thankful for Lily's support.
"How are you feeling?" Minerva asked her son.
James motioned down to his hip, "it hurts like hell, but that's because Lily sat on me."
"James!"
Minerva didn't look upset as Lily leaned over to smack his shoulder lightly, in fact she looked relieved as Lily and James bantered. It was only the arrival of the doctor that made the bickering and teasing settle. Minerva and Lily waited as the doctors and nurses gathered around James' body to do an ultrasound on his hip. The doctor told James it would be about six weeks before his hip would be fully healed. Until then, James was forced to stay down and go to physical therapy.
Later that night after James had fallen asleep thanks to pain drugs, Minerva sat on the spare bed next to Lily. Lily was chewing thoughtfully on some of James' uneaten jell-o. Minerva looked at Lily's face, taking in her tired eyes and wild red hair.
"How's James handling being trapped in bed?" Minerva asked, her hand reaching up to brush down Lily's hair.
"Not horribly," Lily sighed, looking over at James, "but they're still drugging him heavily."
Minerva chuckled at the implication in Lily's tone, "yes, the drugs probably help keep him pacified."
Lily leaned her head against Minerva's shoulder, "I'm sorry, this was all my fault."
Minerva wrapped one arm around Lily's shoulders, "you have no reason to be sorry."
Lily looked at James' adoptive mother sadly, "James got shot protecting me, on the last day of his contract."
"And he'll recover." Minerva said firmly, "all he needs from you, is unconditional love and support."
"Well obviously he has that." Lily pulled back to look Minerva in the eyes, "and I've already rented a flat near Annie's place in London, so he can go to physical therapy with her again if he wants. We'll be able to have dinner with you too, every Friday, if you'd like that."
Minerva looked emotional, "it will be so nice to have James back in London, but what about you?"
Lily shrugged, uncertain, "what about me?"
"What are you going to do?" Minerva asked kindly, "are you going to stay with James?"
Lily tilted her head at Minerva, "if you're okay with it, I'd like to stay with him for my whole life, if he'll have me."
Water flooded Minerva's eyes and she drew Lily up into the biggest hug ever. Lily hugged the woman back, breathing in the scent of mint and lavender. Minerva used the same perfume as Lily's mother used too. Lily chewed on her lower lip and hugged the old woman closer, feeling home in her arms as much as she did in James' arms.
Minerva brushed at Lily's hair, "that would make me very, very happy."
Lily leaned her head on Minerva's shoulder and stared up at the bed. James was snoring softly, his black hair all over the place. He looked so peaceful; Lily could watch him sleep forever. Eventually, she fell asleep, Minerva tucking her in with a promise to be back first thing the next morning.
Lily woke up several times, moving from her lonely bed to James' bed. He woke up when she climbed in with him and for a moment he was startled until he realized it was Lily. They cuddled in the darkness, both of them settling into the bed. Lily watched as the sun rose over New York City from his bed, not intending to go anywhere.
Three days later, James was permitted to leave the hospital. Minerva, Sirius, Samantha and Frank were all there to help get James home. James was stuck in a wheelchair, something he absolutely hated. Lily did her best to make sure James didn't have to be the center of attention, making sure there were enough umbrellas to hide them both from the cameras of the paparazzi.
Trapped in New York, thanks to an impending court date for Lily and James to testify, they settled into a new life at the Lake Placid cabin. The house offered safety from long lens cameras and no one expected them to be there. James used crutches to get around the small cabin, only resorting to the wheelchair for long distances. They slept downstairs since James couldn't climb stairs, both of them hardly ever leaving each other's side for longer than a few hours.
Sirius and Samantha stayed in the city, both of them having jobs to do. Samantha was amazing as Lily's manager and public relations rep. Lily got at least eight updates from Samantha a day, always in the loop with things. Sirius was pretty silent, but Lily knew he was dealing with his unemployment.
Frank and Alice joined them in Lake Placid, both of them assigned to night and day shifts. They were living on the second floor, both of them using the quiet countryside to rejuvenate themselves after such a hard week. Lily and Alice had settled into hiking together, both of them preferring each other's quiet company.
Each morning and each night, Alice and Lily went for walks in the forest. Alice was still reeling from the loss of her baby, her eyes distant even when she was talking to Frank. Lily was supporting Alice the only way she knew how, through kindness and understanding. Alice seemed to prefer Lily's company to that of her husband, and Lily didn't pry, knowing Alice must be struggling with so many feelings.
James was getting cabin fever, trapped in basically the same spot since he was unable to move without pain in his hip. Lily entertained him by singing to him and Frank had gone out of his way to get James cooking supplies. There was never a lack of baking in the cabin and the kitchen was covered in various baked goods.
The small crew were three days into the Lake Placid getaway, when Sirius came bursting through the side door. His unexpected arrival prompted James, Alice and Frank to each pull out various weapons. Lily had picked up a remote for the television, looking pathetic next to her guards. Sirius held up his hands, glaring at James in particular.
"I texted you that I was coming!"
James put his pepper spray back on the table in front of his sofa, "I don't have my phone on me."
Frank put his gun back into its holster, "you scared the shit out of us, Black."
"Sorry," Sirius held up papers in his hand, "but I needed to come see Lily immediately."
Lily stood up from sofa, where she'd been massaging James' shoulders. She wiped her hands on her jeans as she walked over to Sirius with a confused expression. Sirius dangled the papers in front of her nose, a wide grin on his face.
"Read the good news!"
Lily picked up the first paper, flipping it over to see a large company logo of a bird in the corner. It was an unfamiliar logo that she'd never seen. Fire surrounded the bird, which was raising its wings to the edges of the paper.
"Phoenix Records?" she read out loud before looking at Sirius in bewilderment, "I've never heard of them."
"That's because they didn't exist until last night." Sirius said, snatching the paper back from Lily, "It's brand new."
"Who's it owned by?" Lily asked, scratching her temple, "I don't want to be tricked again."
"No tricks, Evans," Sirius said, "it's my new label!"
Her eyes flew up, "your new what?"
Sirius grinned enthusiastically, "Benji Fenwick and I started our own label!"
Lily jaw dropped, "wait, you and Benji opened up a record company together?"
"Yeah," Sirius beamed, "want to hear the best part?"
"What?" Lily blinked hastily, unsure if she should be excited or confused…she settled between both.
"We're signing you." Sirius elbowed her.
Lily's hands covered her cheeks, which flamed red with delight, "what?"
Sirius grabbed Lily's fingers and yanked her into a happy dance, "we want to sign you, Lily!"
Lily was in such a state of shock she felt like she was in a dream. She let Sirius twirl her around as laughter bubbled from her throat despite her disbelief. Alice and Frank both snickered as Lily tossed her arms around Sirius' neck, hugging him as she cried from happiness.
"I accept!" she said, "I would be honored, Sirius!"
"All you have to do is write your own songs every once in a blue moon. Everyday. Whenever you want, really." Sirius promised her, kissing her cheek, "we've got a few other artists lined up too, artists fucked over by Pettigrew."
"You're helping all the artists from Marauders Records?" Lily asked, feeling already like the world was turning around.
"Why do you think we named it Phoenix Records?" Sirius asked as he pulled back to beam at her, "it's because just like a Phoenix, we're going to rise up from the ashes of the fire Pettigrew set."
Lily's smile couldn't have possibly gotten any wider, "this is more than I could've hoped for."
"What's this mean?" James asked from his seat, clearly confused.
"I'm Lily's new boss!" Sirius walked over to the bedside and clapped James' shoulder, "and unlike her previous record label, I promise not to shoot you, even though you tried to shoot me the first day we met and pepper spray me five minutes ago."
James shook his head, but he laughed as Sirius clapped him on the back. Lily pushed back her hair as she reveled in the knowledge that she didn't have to stop making music if she didn't want too. She didn't have to worry about anything because as usual, her friends had her back.
They all celebrated by going into town, with Lily in a wig, and getting dinner at a local restaurant. They stayed up late playing games in the cottage sitting room until it was time to sleep. Lily sent out a text to Samantha, who rejoiced with the news that Lily had a new label and immediately wrote up a press release.
It was ironic that they announced Lily's new label the day before Lily was set to appear in court to testify against her old label. The whole house woke up early, dressed in their best clothes, and made their way back to New York City. Alice, Frank and Samantha all escorted Lily and James to the courthouse. There was nothing anyone could do about the cameras, so Lily and James were forced to be photographed as they went up the ramp to the courthouse. Lily ignored the calls for her to look at cameras and instead, focused on Albus' figure in the doorway of the courthouse.
Lily sat with Albus and Pettigrew sat with his lawyer too. Pettigrew was wearing chains on his wrist and he had on a nice suit. Tom Riddle, surprisingly, was there with his own lawyer. Lily could feel Riddle's eyes boring into her as she sat between James and Albus. Lily grabbed James' hand for reassurance and James squeezed it twice.
The courtroom was dreadful, boring and mundane. Lily answered the same ten questions, it felt like, over and over. Pettigrew claimed that Tom Riddle had planned to kill Lily to increase the value of her masters, making Samantha whisper 'I knew it' under her breath behind Lily in the stands. Tom Riddle claimed that Pettigrew was clinically insane and had, in fact, wanted to kill Lily because she fired him. The allegations were spat back and forth. The only thing that was agreed between all parties, was that James had been shot at Peter Pettigrew's hands.
Court was dismissed fourteen hours later, making Lily and her entourage forced to consider staying in the city for the night. Frank went ahead, determined to sweep the city apartment before anyone else got there. Alice stood next to Lily with Samantha, the girls awaiting James to get out of the restroom with Albus. It was there that Tom Riddle found Lily with his glistening black eyes.
"Miss Evans," his voice sent chills up her spine, "might I have a word alone."
Samantha snapped before Lily could, "whatever you want to say to my client, you can say in front of us."
His snakelike eyes fell on Samantha and she only stood up taller. Lily followed Samantha's example, standing upright and angling her head at Riddle with implied threat. She was never going to let Tom Riddle think he owned any piece of her.
"Shame about your manager." Tom said smoothly, his eyes moving back to Lily, "I'm afraid he doesn't stand a chance to win this case."
"I don't want him to win." Lily said coolly.
"Well we have one thing in common, then." Riddle said, reaching out a hand to Lily.
Lily stared at his hand but didn't take it, "we have nothing in common, Riddle."
"I must say your chilliness is surprising," Riddle said, dropping his hand, "when I'm testifying against the same man, who betrayed us both."
Lily tilted her head at the man in black, "Did he only betray you because he failed his mission?"
"I honestly don't have any idea what you're talking about." Riddle said, retracting his offered hand.
Lily stepped forward, her fists clenching at her sides, "I know you gave him that gun."
His expression remained impassive, "be careful Miss Evans, at what you are insinuating."
"Bet you wish you'd gotten away with your plan to trick Lily again, huh?" Samantha said boldly, next to Lily, "too bad we caught your rat."
Tom Riddle sneered at Samantha, "Stay out of things you don't understand, girl."
"We understand plenty." Lily said, "why do you think I'm here to testify against both of you?"
"I'll still win, Evans." Riddle's black eyes glistened gravely, "I own you."
"How do you figure?" Samantha mocked, "she's not singing for you anymore."
"I don't need her to sing for me anymore." Riddle let his eyes travel up and down Lily's small stature, "and mark my words, she's peaked. Nothing she ever writes will ever be as popular as her old music, which again, I own the rights to."
"Don't underestimate me, Riddle." Lily said carefully, "I'm going to keep singing just to spite you. I'll never stop singing. Or writing. I'll stay in this industry just to keep reminding you of what you lost, every time I win an award, you'll have to see me being successful without you. You might've put the crown on my head at fifteen, but you did not write my songs, produce my music or buy me my fans. I am who I am today because of the people who love me. Not assholes you."
Riddle stepped forward but stopped when Alice's hand reached for her gun on her hip. Riddle's eyes flicked back and forth between Alice and her gun.
Finally, he settled on addressing Lily, "you should really fear me, Miss Evans."
"No Riddle," Lily tossed her hair over her shoulder, "you ought to fear me."
Riddle looked between Lily, Alice and Samantha. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he turned and walked away. Lily felt like the world had been lifted from her shoulders as he left her alone. Tom Riddle was nothing but a snake and a villain. She knew she'd never be done fighting men like him as long as she stayed in the industry, but she also knew that one day karma would send Riddle to his grave.
Lily just hoped she'd be around to see it.
The court case was postponed until after the Holidays. Lily and her family, her adopted family, packed up their things and made their way to the Scotland mansion where the Evans' were planning to stay for Christmas. Even Petunia and her husband Vernon were showing up to celebrate the holidays. Even with all the stress of dealing with Peter, worries melted away in Scotland.
Lily and her father spent a whole day putting up Christmas lights, with James' watchful eye. They decorated a tree Frank brought in from a nearby farm, Alice priding herself on the popcorn string that was strung among the evergreen branches. On Christmas Eve, Scotland received a fluffy white covering of snow all over the estate that left Lily feeling like she was in a winter wonderland. She rested soundly next to James in their bedroom, the window curtains open so they could watch the snow fall.
"Can you believe how far we've come since the last time we were here?" James whispered as he dragged his fingers through her red hair.
Lily pushed her toes against his warm leg as she snuggled deeper into his side, "I wish I could go back and tell myself what I know now."
"What would you say to the old you?"
Lily ran her fingers down his bare chest attentively, "I'd tell her that singing is a part of our life but it isn't our whole life, and we need to be okay with that. I'd tell her people were going to try and take our crown, but that's alright, we don't need it. I'd make sure she knew sooner that the man who saved our life in Manchester, would turn into the most important person in our life."
James touched her cheek, "I am so proud of you, for living with so much love and kindness, despite everything."
Lily leaned her cheek into his hand, "I had a little help."
"You are my everything, Red." he kissed her nose, "I am never going to stop loving you."
Lily leaned into his face, her hair swinging around them like a curtain as she held herself up and over him, "then marry me."
"Okay," James laughed, as if finding her proposal hilarious.
Lily frowned and pinched him to shut him up, "I mean it," she said seriously, "marry me."
James quirked a brow at Lily, realizing her sincerity, "you want to marry me?"
She leaned in so she could kiss James on the lips long and slow. James kissed her back, albeit slower than she would've liked.
"Marry me," she urged against his mouth, "be mine."
"I'm already yours." James wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
She leaned back to offer him a smile, "is that a yes?"
James licked his lips, awestruck by her, but there was a lighthearted twinkle behind his gaze, "do we really need another contract?"
Lily wrinkled her nose at his jest, "this one binds us together, it won't keep us apart."
"True," James conceded, "but a marriage contract means you're stuck with me forever, flaws and all."
"And you're stuck with me forever," she countered.
James tucked her hair behind her ear, "all of you, for all of me."
She beamed at him, "All of me, for all of you."
She settled into his embrace and fell asleep smiling. She knew there were a lot of mountains ahead for her to climb. She knew life wasn't going to be perfect but that was okay. Life wasn't meant to be perfect. Life was messy, challenging and ever-changing. Lily was sure that there would be more challenges for her to face as a singer, fiancé and woman but she was ready to take them on, fearless.
At the end of the day, she was the lucky one because she had control of the narrative again. She could choose the rose garden, or Madison Square. Another name would go up in lights, lighting like diamonds in the sky, but it wouldn't be Lily's name from a long time. And they might tell the legend of how she disappeared, took her money and her dignity and got the Hell out. It would take some time, but one day the world would understand why.
It wasn't happily ever after, but it was happily ever something.
