Petal in the Rain

Chapter 7 - Only Love Can Make it Rain

Only love can make it rain
The way the beach is kissed by the sea
Only love can make it rain
Like the sweat of lovers' laying in the fields

-The Who

"Mi'lady? Where shall I set down your tea?" a young female servant inquired timidly, wearing a crisp black and white uniform that stopped above her ankles.

"Bring it to me," a beautiful blonde woman demanded, stretching elegantly in her claw-foot bathtub, lavender scented bubbles tickling her chin. "Have you baked the biscuits correctly this time, Amelia?"

"Yes, Mi'lady! I'm terribly sorry, Mi'lady," the servant bowed lowly, depositing a silver tray on the small table near the tub.

Underneath the plate of steaming tea and biscuits lay the morning's copy of The Sunday Chatter, a gossip magazine filled to the brim with scandalous pictures and ill-reported stories about society's nobility. It was a must read.

Ms. Collins stepped out of the tub, wrapping a silk bathrobe around her body. The door-length windows in the grand bathroom were open, letting morning air waft about the room, cooling the tiled floor. She took a seat on one of the upholstered stools and tucked into her breakfast, flippantly pulling the magazine out from under her plate.

She froze, the front-page headline catching her attention.

Potter Playboy and Posse on the Prowl!

She let out an ear-piercing scream of indignation, her blonde curls bobbing erratically as she turned and whipped her china tea cup at the wall.

James lay stretched out along his king-size bed, his bare chest exposed from beneath the linen sheets. He looked peaceful and serene, a smile lingering on his lips. Last night turned out better than he could've imagined. Recalling the memories had kept him up for much of morning, but sleep had eventually come.

It wasn't going to be peaceful around the house for much longer, though.

"WAKE UP, JAMSIE!" Sirius shouted, bursting through the room's double doors and launching himself onto James' bed.

Bleary-eyed, he found Sirius laying down beside him watching him intently.

"What do you want, wanker?" James mumbled, burying his face in his pillow, pretending Sirius wasn't there.

"I thought you'd like me to break the news to you first," Sirius explained, pushing him so roughly that he slid off the bed onto the floor.

"Bloody git!" James cursed, picking himself up off the floor and glaring at his supposed best friend. "What news? You've finally learned how to tie your shoes like a big boy?"

"Rude," Sirius mocked, rolling his eyes. "Looks like you've made the oh-so-prestigious Chatter."

James gulped and picked up the magazine Sirius had chucked onto his bed. He scanned the headline and scowled.

The first picture was of him kissing Lily's shoulder, his hands wrapped around her waist. The second was of him and Lily dancing, their bodies very close. The third was of Sirius dancing alone atop a table, many girls surrounding him and a beer in his right hand. The fourth was of James carrying a drunken Lily out of the alley, and the last was of the group lying along the bank of the Thames River.

"Who is this mysterious redhead Lord James Potter has his eye on? This is rubbish!" James shouted, his voice resounding. "Did you see the photographer following us?"

"Of course I didn't!" Sirius replied, looking outraged. "We might've been identified, but the girls haven't. In half the pictures you can't even make out Lily's face."

"You're right," James replied, looking relieved as he closely observed the pictures again. "Still, I think anyone who knows her would be able to tell."

"Maybe you should owl her," Sirius suggested, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "Do you think one of those magazines could get into the hands of a nun at her school?"

"What nun would read a gossip magazine? I thought they just read the Bible," James frowned unhappily. "And how can I owl her? She's a Muggle, wouldn't she find that a tad strange?"

"You're a bloody lord! That's entitles you to…odd resources!" Sirius snapped back, sounding unsure of his alternative.

Before James could retort, the doors to his room slammed open, this time admitting a sophisticated woman with long black hair and purple eyes. She wore a short black dress cut above her knees, tall black pumps and a regal, wide-brimmed hat: James' mother.

"James Gerald," Marissa Potter hissed, looking manic as she stepped into his room unannounced.

"Mother? What are you doing here?" James asked sharply, his brow furrowing. "I thought you were off vegetating in Paris?"

"Sirius, I'll ask you to give my son and I a moment to talk privately," Marissa ordered, simulating politeness. "I have just spoken with Walburga and she is eager to converse with you as well."

Sirius and James exchanged pained looks before Sirius apparated out of the room, slightly bowing towards James' mother before his exit. However, Sirius had no intention of facing his dear mother, Lady Walburga Black, when he returned home. James thought it was much more likely that he was off to claim sanctuary in a pub for a few hours.

"What do you want?" James asked flatly, in no way inclined to amuse his mother with a respectful façade. "I'll ask you to knock the next time you wish to see me."

Marissa ignored him, her purple eyes wrathful.

"You have dishonored your family, James Gerald Potter!" Marissa shrieked, her flawless skin turning red. "How dare you go off gallivanting in some muggle dump with this trash!"

She picked up the magazine on his bed and pointed her manicured finger to the picture of him and Lily. She then whipped the magazine at his chest, where he caught it in utter disgust.

"She's not trash," James said, unflinching under his mother's glare. "She's more refined than any of the ditzy society rubbish you try to set me up with."

"Have I taught you nothing?" Marissa spat. "You will do as I say, and I order you never to see this whore again."

"You can't stop me," James seethed, controlling the urge to hex his mother into oblivion.

"I can have your inheritance abolished, James Gerald. How would you like that?" Lady Potter threatened, looking frenzied. "Do not think for one moment I haven't any control over you."

"Now that's an empty threat if I've ever heard one. You'll have my trust fund taken away? Do you think it will improve the Potter reputation, me living on the streets?" James challenged, smirking. "I can see the headlines now, London's richest family kicks son to curb!"

"Just wait until your father gets home," Marissa snarled, a very un-ladylike gesture, "He will set you straight—force you to erase this ridiculous fixation you have."

"I'd much rather speak with him than you," James affirmed, a goading look upon his face. "Now do me a favour and get out."

Marissa glowered at her son before stomping out of his room and slamming the double doors shut. She was not the type of woman to be toiled with, and she would figure out who it was James was seeing.

She wouldn't rest until she did.

Lily's moccasin-style shoes scuffed the hardwood in the dining hall as she lazily made her way over to the table where Roxanne sat, elbows propped impolitely on the table. The English sky, seen via the dining room windows, was splotched with salt and pepper clouds, some melancholy and others virtually transparent. Lily was sure a storm was brewing.

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning?" Lily mocked tiredly, plopping down into a cushy chair beside Roxanne, whose eyes were as puffy as a blow fish.

"You don't exactly look smashing either," Roxanne retorted, glaring up at the redhead. "Although you seem unnaturally happy, which is uncharacteristic because you hate waking up early."

Lily looked over her shoulder, than leaned in toward Roxanne. "Last night was amazing, don't you think? Our first all-nighter! We've got to sneak out more often."

"I can barely remember it because I was so sloshed…" Roxanne giggled, making sure to keep her voice down. "We were all in a right state!"

"We may have been all liquored-up, but I remember everything clearly," Lily smiled, blushing due to Roxanne's teasing smirk. "What do you think of Sirius?"

"He's an airhead, but good fun," Roxanne poured herself a glass of orange juice and gathered scrambled eggs onto her china plate. "But let's not focus on him. I am much more interested in Lord James Potter."

"And why is that?" Lily scrunched up her nose.

"He seems more than a little fond of you, which I find highly adorable," Roxanne's fatigue disappeared as she grinned madly, garnering glares from the surrounding tables. "He's so charming, and the way he looks at you! That man is downright smitten."

"Would you keep it down?" Lily demanded, though she was unable to hide her giddy smile. "You're exaggerating. It's madness to think he could see anything in a poor nobody like me."

"Why are you in denial about this? I bet he'll kiss you the next time you meet up," Roxanne announced matter-of-factly.

"How do you know there will even be a next time? I'm probably just some toy he'll eventually get bored with," Lily sighed, refraining from telling Roxanne they had already kissed.

"Fine, don't get your hopes up, but time will tell. If he tries to contact you by the end of the month, I'll be convinced he's besotted with you," Roxanne stated.

Lily rolled her eyes, embarrassed, but quickly straightened in her chair as Sister Cecilia scuttled toward her, looking frantic and wet with sweat.

"Miss Evans, if you'll please follow me," Sister Cecilia insisted. "It'll only take a moment out of your breakfast time."

Lily and Roxanne exchanged quizzical looks before Lily followed the mousy nun into the hall outside of the dining room. She was expecting to be led into Sister Agatha's office for another arbitrary lashing, but instead was brought to the front door, where a dark figure waited for her. Her heartbeat quickened.

"Highly unusual for a student to be let…but he is a…you have twenty minutes before classes start, Miss Evans," Sister Cecilia reminded her before heading back into the dining room.

"Come out here for a minute."

Lily followed James outside, closing the school door behind her. Making sure nobody was watching them, James removed a copy of the tabloid magazine, The Sunday Chatter, from his pocket, pressing it to her chest.

"What's wrong?" Lily noticed the upset etched into James' handsome features. "I can't be caught seeing you, I—"

"Hence my secretiveness," James smirked at the pretty girl, despite feeling angry about the earlier encounter with his mother. "Look at the front page."

Lily frowned and scanned the front of the posh magazine James had given her; her eyes widening when she read the headline and saw the big, bold pictures. She felt her knees begin to weaken and fear collect in her throat at the sight of them.

"James, when the nuns see this—" Lily whimpered, her eyes obscured with dread.

He lightly grazed her hand with his, trying to offer weak reassurance.

"The rag hasn't identified you or Roxanne and the pictures are blurry at best," James pacified. "Sirius and I have damage control plans for this morning."

"What a mess! I'm sorry if this makes you look bad," Lily bit the top of her lip, a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she faced the handsome lord, shame budding.

"I'm not worried about my image, Lily, just about you getting beaten by that sodding nun again," James whispered, taking Lily's hand and kissing the top of it, making her flush. "Those pictures…"

"Yes?" Lily inquired weakly, embarrassment welling at the thought of the compromising positions she and James were photographed in.

He leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear as he slinked his hands around her waist. "I'd like to recreate those on another occasion, if you'd be so kind as to oblige."

Shivers traveled up Lily's back as James' breath tickled her ear.

"I don't believe your intentions are quite proper my lord," Lily whispered back, feeling inexplicably drawn to him.

"I don't mean to offend, my lady," James grinned, reluctantly pulling away from her and bowing graciously.

"You are a mixture of gentleman and scoundrel," Lily shook her head, offering a coy little smile.

"And you, both angel and temptress," James playfully retorted. "Which do you prefer? Gentleman or scoundrel?"

"That's like asking me to choose between strawberries and chocolate. One cannot function properly without the other," Lily chuckled at her own comparison, cheeks rosy.

"Strawberries and chocolate? Perhaps I am not the only one with improper thoughts," James teased, licking his lips to tantalize Lily into kissing him…

"OI POTTER! LET'S GET A MOVE ON!" Sirius shouted from the end of the drive, unaware he was with Lily.

Lily giggled at James' annoyed reaction.

"That bugger has got the worst timing," James cursed under his breath, easing away from Lily, who seemed to be regaining her composure. "Do you know where the apple orchard is from here?"

"The one behind the school, bordering the small forest?" Lily asked, hugging her arms to her chest.

"Yes. Do you think you could get there after dinner?" James asked, his boyish eyes pleading.

"How could I possibly?" Lily began skeptically. "Unless…"

"Meet me just before the sun sets," James said hastily, kissing Lily on the cheek and offering a lop-sided grin before scampering down the driveway to meet up with Sirius.

Lily felt dazed as she re-entered the school just as the bell went off, signaling the beginning of class. She slipped into her Geometry classroom and took a seat beside Roxanne, who was ready to explode with questions.

"Well?"

Lily moved her desk closer to Roxanne, hoping no one would overhear her conversation.

"It was James."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. He's not smitten with you, he's bloody love-struck!" Roxanne squealed gleefully, her eyes the size of teacup saucers. "What does he want now? Your hand in marriage?"

"Aren't you smart?" Lily glared pointedly, though she was not the least bit upset. "You've always wanted fame, right? Now you've got it."

Lily smacked the Chatter down on Roxanne's desk and waited for the sassy brunette's reaction.

"Oh my God…" Roxanne's nose practically touched the front page, the girl so absorbed in the scandalous photos of them. "What if someone sees this?"

"Sister Loretta? Are we allowed to read magazines in class?" Acantha inquired sweetly, raising her hand whilst stealthily shooting Roxanne and Lily vicious little smirks.

"No, my child. What has caused your inquiry?" the nun returned placidly, bothered by the useless question.

"Lily and Roxanne are reading one right now, and I wondered how they earned such a privilege," Acantha smiled politely, her nose blue and purple from her spat with Lily the previous day.

The nun sped toward Lily, who could not find a sufficient hiding place for the tabloid in time. Sister Loretta tore the magazine from her hands and scanned the title.

"What is this filth? Is this an unholy sex magazine?" the nun bumbled, the girls around the class giggling at the very word.

"It's not a sex magazine, it's a gossip magazine," Roxanne defended, her ears turning pink.

"You girls should be ashamed of yourselves! I must report this to Sister Agatha at once," the nun exclaimed, ignoring Roxanne and heading toward the door.

Lily felt her blood turn hot. Sister Agatha would recognize them in the pictures; there was no doubt in her mind. Lily wouldn't be able to see James anymore and both she and Roxanne would be beaten to a pulp.

Lily glared hard at the magazine, tears welling up in her eyes. Just as the nun was about to exit the classroom, the tabloid burst into flames, causing the nun to emit a high-pitched scream and drop it. It was soon reduced to ashes.

The students in the classroom gasped due to the random combustion, many standing and leaning over their desks to peer at the pile of singed pulp in wonder.

"Witchcraft! Heresy! Blasphemes!" the nun screamed shrilly, appalled by the spectacle. "Detention for the both of you! You'll be scrubbing dishes in the kitchen until curfew tonight!"

"How is this our fault?" Roxanne stood up in her seat, positively livid. "Do I look like a sodding witch to you? You can't give us detention on grounds of witchcraft! That's absurd!"

"I am giving you detention for possessing a smutty magazine! Now sit down!" Sister Loretta demanded, visibly shaken as collapsed into a chair.

"Did James tell you that magazine was also a bloody fire bomb?" Roxanne snapped, wrinkles appearing across her forehead. Lily looked back at her innocently. "I've never gotten a detention before."

"Which is surprising, considering you're my best friend and I'm issued one every week," Lily grinned uneasily, relieved and stunned the magazine had gone up in flames.

Did I do that?

Sister Loretta eventually recovered enough to continue her lesson, avoiding eye contact with Lily and Roxanne. It seemed she was convinced they were secretly Satanists on an unholy rampage; after all, they were reading sex magazines.

"Roxanne?"

"What do you want, you little devil?"

"Can you cover for me tonight?"

"What?" Roxanne demanded. "Where are you planning on going?"

"Well…James and I are meeting in the apple orchard down the street tonight after dinner…" Lily whispered, wincing at Roxanne's glower.

"So you'll be snogging in an apple orchard while I'm serving detention?" Roxanne muttered bitterly, her brow furrowed in humorous anger.

"We won't be snogging!" Lily protested, getting swatted in the back of the head with a ruler by Sister Loretta for talking. "Ouch! What an old crab she is!"

"You owe me one, Lily Evans," Roxanne grumbled, beginning to copy down the notes on the board.

After supper, Lily immediately dashed to the kitchen (hoping the chefs would be gone) and out the back door of the school, eager to cross the expansive lawns into the small forest that bordered the apple orchard. The sky was indecisive, looking ready to spill its guts onto the landscape at one moment, and then clearing to reveal a burning orange horizon at another.

The apple orchard consisted of row upon row of green trees, mathematically spaced between each other to leave room for growth. In early spring, they budded with flowers as opposed to red or green apples. The ground was muddy from spurts of rain, creating an earthly smell. Lily regretted not wearing boots.

This is gross! Lily thought to herself, peeling off her shoes and knee-high socks, deciding it more logical to wade about in bare feet. She rolled her school kilt higher (but not scandalously so) and tied her hair back in a ponytail before making her way to the middle of the orchard.

"Well aren't you a sight to behold?" Lily heard James shout from the centre of the field, his masculine voice resounding amongst the trees.

Her heart began to palpitate faster.

"Can't say the same for you," Lily called out uneasily, seeing no one, but knowing she was being watched. "Where are you?"

Lily let out a surprised scream as James jumped down from the apple tree he was sitting in, landing in front of her, white shirt buttoned down and pants rolled up past the knees. Lily lost her balance, the shock sending her backwards, but James caught her wrists and steadied her.

"Scare the living daylights out of me, why don't you!" Lily huffed, holding onto James' arms for balance. "You picked an odd place for a rendezvous."

"I didn't know it was going to be so muddy," James smiled apologetically, revealing perfect white teeth. "I'm ashamed to say I didn't think you'd brave the muck to see me. Most ladies wouldn't dare step out in the rain, never mind walk knee-deep in mud."

"We both know I'm hardly a lady," Lily chuckled, detesting the feeling of mud between her toes. "But it is rather disgusting. I'm not properly dressed."

"I like your outfit," he replied, his eyes running up and down her milky-white legs. "Those schoolgirl kilts are the epitome of sex, if you don't mind me saying."

"You, sir, are too brash!" Lily folded her arms resolutely, hint of a smile on her lips. "If I'd known you were here to size me up, perhaps I wouldn't have come."

"Sorry," James cracked another contrite smile. "You bring out the scoundrel in me more often than the gentlemen. It's been suppressed for a long time."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Lily put her arms on her hips, seemingly annoyed, then thought better of such a move and grabbed onto James again for balance. "James, I'm sinking in this mud!"

"Here," James swept Lily off her feet despite her protest, grinning down at her scandalized expression. "Is that better?"

"Lord Potter, put me down!" Lily insisted, fidgeting awkwardly in his arms.

"I thought I was being a gentleman?" James smirked, his eyes sparkling playfully.

"I am not some rag doll you can pick up and put down whenever you feel like it," Lily persevered, biting her bottom lip as she felt his hand grazing her bare legs.

"I would be no fun to kiss a rag doll," James agreed, pleased he was able to make Lily's cheeks go pink.

"James Potter, put me down!" Lily persisted in embarrassment, feeling bare under his probing gaze.

"As you wish, my lady," James gently lowered Lily back into the mud, teasing her lower back with his hands.

Lily's hands slid down his chest and grasped onto his upper arm, while her bare feet slipping back into the deep mud. James looked longingly down into Lily's face, his lips mere inches from hers, searching for permission to kiss her. Lily closed her eyes and lifted one of her feet out of the mud, tempting him forward. James closed his eyes, ready to graze her lips, when…

"Hey!" James opened his eyes in surprise, wiping mud from his cheek as Lily began to run in the opposite direction, her laughter contagiously compelling him after her. "YOU'RE IN TROUBLE NOW, LILY EVANS!"

As Lily traveled the muck and dirt, giggling, water from the heavens began to fall, giving her the strangest feeling; that of freedom and liberty. Ever since she'd met James, she had felt like an animal escaped from its cage—its prison. She was free to feel, to think, to have fun when she was with him. Her build-up of emotion was overwhelming, and the thought of losing it, unbearable.

Lily's foot got caught in a particularly deep mud hole, causing her to trip and fall forward into the wet muck. She did not scream or cry for help; she merely relished the feeling of flight. There was mud on her elbows and knees, as well as some smeared on her left cheek.

"Merlin, are you alright?" James asked seriously, dropping down into the mud beside her without a second thought. He lifted her out of the grim, his hands supporting her back.

There it is again…Merlin?

"I'm fine," Lily breathed, cracking a small smile as she turned to James, whose white shirt was stained with wet dirt and eyes mirrored with worry. "You didn't have to launch yourself into the mud with me, silly."

"I can't let you have all the fun," James returned mischievously, hiding his fascination with her reaction and gently wiping his muddy thumb on her clean cheek, making her laugh. "Now we're even, clumsy."

"I still think I have an advantage over you," Lily grinned, her red hair caked with mud as she pushed herself into an upright sitting position.

"Yes… you've found my weakness," James divulged in almost a whisper, intensely staring back at her.

"Muddy, kilt-wearing girls?" Lily smiled, snorting at her own joke.

"Yes, but specifically you," James laughed, this time the one to blush. Lily beamed sheepishly. "I've never known a girl quite like you."

"I hope that's a compliment," Lily said shyly.

In her sparkling eyes, James could detect an untouched innocence.

"One of many, if you'll allow," James responded seriously, a burning passion in his mysterious eyes.

Rain continued to trickle from the sky, wetting Lily's red hair and causing the ground to become even muddier. James heaved a sigh, realizing he and Lily couldn't stay out much longer without becoming drenched, dirtier and sick.

"We better find shelter before you catch a cold," James murmured, squinting down through the rain at Lily, finding her right hand buried in the mud.

James wobbled to his feet and pulled Lily to hers, taking in her petite, filthy frame.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not cold," Lily waved off nonchalantly, though her legs felt like melting icicles.

"You're a terrible liar," James smiled handsomely, water droplets dripping off strands of his hair and onto his glasses. "Your hands are freezing and your legs are shaking."

"Maybe I should go back to school, there's nowhere else we can go in this state and—" Lily began, though she didn't want to part with James.

"Have a little faith, Miss Evans," James shook his head, mocking despair. "I've got just the place for us to clean up and get fresh clothes."

"I keep forgetting you're a Potter…do you own this orchard?" Lily inquired, her voice becoming meek as she let James lead her through the rows of trees.

James paused, drinking in her last sentence and regretting the answer.

"Yes, my family owns it. Sirius and I often played in this orchard when we were children. There's a potting shed on the northern side where I'm taking you," James explained, halting to consider circumstances. "Are you alright with us going to the shack, Lily? I don't want you to think—"

"I haven't known you for long, but I trust you, James," Lily offered him a peaceful smile, urging him on with her eyes.

"I'm glad," James tenderly squeezed Lily's hand. "It's not much further, we'll be out of the rain soon."

Just as James had claimed, a wooden potting shed sat nestled between the apple orchard and the forest on the northern side, near the opening in the forest Lily had exited from. James eased the door open and gestured Lily inside, closing the door when he too had entered.

"It's not much, but it'll do for now," James said, letting go of Lily's hand and peeling off his brown shirt, which had once been white.

The shack consisted of one room, barely the size of James' bedroom at the manor, and a closet. There was a fireplace on the far wall, a pile of wood stocked beside it, with a soft carpet placed near the hearth. The shack had four windows—all battered with rain—and near the door was a table and two chairs and a stack of fractured pots.

"What do you and Sirius do in here?" Lily asked James as he rummaged in the closet. "There doesn't seem to be much one can do in here for entertainment."

"We talk or eat, nothing special," James replied, closing the closet door and offering Lily a thin blanket. "Usually we came here to escape our mothers."

"Thank you," Lily looked at James quizzically, letting him wrap the blanket around her shoulders. "Why would you want to escape your mother?"

"Mother and I have never gotten along." James explained, not eager to breech the subject. "Let's see if I can start a fire."

James fumbled with the matches, curious as to how they worked, but wasn't able to strike up a flame. Lily watched him curiously, a smirk curving at the edge of her mouth.

"Need some help with that?" Lily teased, raising an eyebrow.

"No…I think perhaps a breeze is coming in from the door. Could you see if it's been shut properly?" James asked, using his wand to ignite the logs as soon as Lily turned her back.

How did he do that?

"There, that's a bit more comfortable," James stated confidently, inwardly pleased due to Lily's puzzled look. "Now you won't freeze to death."

"Are you concerned?" Lily flirted, her mouth forming into a thin smile as James joined her on the floor by the fire.

"No, not particularly." James countered, laughing as Lily poked his side, mocking outrage.

Lily watched him nonchalantly lay flat on his back, his chiseled jaw perpendicular to the ceiling. The flickering fire reflected on his glasses as he closed his eyes and basked in the warmth. Darkness began blackening the windows, the pitter patter of raindrops still making them vibrate like a song.

"Sometimes I forget you're nobility," Lily whispered, James' eyes opening as she delicately brushed a strand of his messy hair out of his face. "It's as if you're like everyone else."

"I am like everyone else," James sat up abruptly, facing Lily. "I don't want to be nobility in your eyes. I'm not Lord Potter, I'm just James."

"Just James..." Lily whispered, faintly smiling as her eyes caught the fire light.

The smile slid off her face as she looked away from James and into the fire. Was it wrong of her to be consorting with nobility? James could do so much better—a fine woman like Ms. Collins was the type of lady he would end up married to, living in his manor with twelve children. Was it silly of her to expect anything more from James? Lily was frustrated with herself for even imagining a future. He was a lord, she was a nobody.

Lily vowed to live in the moment, though she was plagued with the realization her relationship with James would soon come to an end and he would go on living a happy, rich life while she remained penniless with an uncertain future.

"What's wrong?" James prodded, concerned when he noticed Lily's expression darken. "Did I say something?"

"No…what did your mother and father say when they saw our pictures in that magazine?" Lily asked suddenly, her eyes betraying her distress.

"My father is never home, I doubt he even knows of the pictures," James said, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "My mother, she…doesn't know of them either."

"What about the rest of your social circle? Aren't you afraid of their reaction to…well, me?" Lily continued, shame welling.

"You mean us," James corrected, his face becoming somber.

"What do you mean, "us"?" Lily gulped, feeling her face flush as James' expression contorted in annoyed confusion.

"You must know I have feelings for you?" James questioned, his tone disbelieving. "I don't recall formally asking you if I could court you, but I still thought there was an us?"

"I just thought that…why would you want someone like me? I—"

Passion seizing his body, James captured her lips with his, the force of the impact causing her to lay on her back, James on top of her. Lily closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand on the small of her back and the other near her neck. Lily gasped as James' lips trailed down her neck and down her left shoulder, where he had gently pulled the fabric away. Lily felt her heart beat sporadically and her lips tingle as James' lips crushed against hers again, pressing hard, then gently caressing.

James could barely register what he was doing as he slowly unbuttoned the top of Lily's blouse, his lips kissing her neck and slowly making their way down toward her ample cleavage…

Realizing his body was getting the best of him, he managed to stop unbuttoning Lily's shirt and instead ran his hands up and down her smooth legs, their lips entangled again. His hand inched near the hem of her skirt, the other ready to cup her right breast.

She's innocent…you're moving too fast…she might be too timid to tell you no…

James begrudgingly retracted his hands and pulled Lily up into a sitting position with him, their lips breaking apart but their bodies still pressed against one another's.

Lily opened her eyes and was met with James' hot blooded ones, her body aching for his touch. She had never felt so good before…so alive.

They both breathed heavily, James groaning in frustration as he glimpsed one of Lily's prominent nipples through her white blouse.

"I…wow…" Lily breathed, still basking in the blissful experience.

"Do you still doubt that I want you?" James whispered, trying to compose his urges.

"No," Lily murmured back, her green eyes simmering with inexperience.

"I'm sorry if I was too—" James began, inwardly kicking himself for being so overpowering.

"Please don't apologize," Lily whispered in James' ear, shivers trailing up his spine.

They sat in silence for a while, fire light softening their features. Lily gradually buttoned her blouse back up, to James' chagrin, and got to her feet, knowing curfew was fast approaching.

"I must go, James. If the nuns find me out of bed I'll be in big trouble," Lily said, nearing the door with James following in her wake. "Tonight was…"

"Yes, it was," James quietly smiled, feeling at peace with Lily near. "I'll be in France for a week…will you see me when I get back?"

"Must you even ask?" Lily smiled angelically, letting James take her hand.

"I'll take that as a yes," James grinned. "I fear I won't be able to wait a week…"

"Who knows? Maybe you'll find a pretty French girl and stay a month," Lily teased.

"I think I'll be too distracted thinking about a certain redhead," James divulged, arching his neck and kissing the skin behind her ear.

Lily blushed as he did this, but relished in the feeling.

"I must go!" Lily giggled, teasingly pressing James away from her neck.

"Spoil sport," James pouted, breaking into a widespread grin. "I'll walk you back to school."

"No, I think I'd rather go alone, if you don't mind," Lily asked, wanting some time to think before she returned.

"You'll do one thing for me before you go?" James asked in polite resolve.

"Anything."

"Don't doubt my feelings for you," James spoke gently, his chocolate eyes betraying his adoration for the girl. "I want you and no one else, no matter your station."

Lily nodded, her eyes becoming damp at the thought of such a man wanting her as she left the shack and disappeared into the darkness. James felt his heart clench painfully at the thought of never seeing her again.

Little did he know how close he'd come to just that.

Author's Note

Thank you to all those who rewarded me with their reviews! : ) Please continue reading & reviewing!

Much love,

-pratty-prongs-princesse