Chapter 2: Dreams

He watched in shock, pure hit in the balls unexpectedly, coffee poured onto you when your driving, a book falls off the shelf and hit you in the head shock. As Lily, the women who in the span of 5 minutes made him into a bumbling fool, swung her arms down and snatched the little baby up and pressed him close to her chest, nope stop looking at her chest, and snuggled the little boy close.

He watched as she cooed to the little boy and kissed the top of his head before her attention turned back to him. She gave him a shy smile before saying "James this is my baby Harry."

And as he stared at the chubby-cheeked, green-eyed, drooling baby, he felt hope slip away. However he still righted himself and tried to offer a genuine smile, one that clearly said shit you have a child, and he waved at the little boy who immediately turned shy and ducked his head back into the comfort of his mother's neck. She swayed from side to side as she continued to talk about how excited she was to be living there and how the price for the apartment was so good.

She was so excited, she was practically radiating happiness so he smiled and carried the box into his new neighbor's apartment. He offered to help carry up the rest as well and he watched, with some bitterness, as a happy flush spread over her face. So she out Harry back into the pram and the two of them walked down the stairs to the moving truck and spent the next hour running boxes up to his new neighbor's apartment. A beautiful neighbor, with soft looking skin, a mouth that called him like a siren, a smile that lit up a room, curves that begged to be traced, a musical voice that calmed his soul, and who had a baby. A baby.

So as he set the last box down into her apartment, smiled and nodded at her thank yous he resolved not to think about this new neighbor, Lily, anymore. He would be friendly, watch her apartment if she went away, hold the elevator for her, but he would not do anymore. He would be neighborly and that, he promised himself, was that.

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Then he dreamed of her.

As he woke up sweating, uncomfortably hot, and predictably hard he rationalized that it was normal. It has been a while since he had been with anyone and he just met someone very attractive, it was normal to respond to that.

So when he dreamed of Lily falling back onto his bed, her hands twisted in his hair, and him touching those alluring curves, he disregarded it. He was awake now and as he was trying to calm his breathing he thought about his dream. His dream where he touched every part of Lily that was hidden by the sundress she was wearing earlier today. He dreamed about how soft her skin was, how her hands grabbed his shoulders or her nails dug into his back. He imagined his head between her legs and finding out if she tasted as sweet as she looked. He dreamt of her squeezing him like a vice and hearing her sigh out his name.

But it was just a dream, a dream caused by his pent up frustration, nothing that couldn't be fixed with a cold shower. And at 3 in the morning as he stepped under the freezing spray in his bathroom he resolved to go out with Sirius to a club soon and find someone to take his mind off of Lily.

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The next morning he left his apartment and once he locked his door his eyes found Lily. She was balancing Harry on her hip, a diaper bag, a purse on her shoulder, coffee mug on the floor, and she was trying to lock the door with her free hand. Trying being the main word. He cleared his throat to gain her attention and those green eyes, the ones that haunted his dreams last night, snapped up to meet him and he saw a happy smile across her pretty face as soon as she recognized him.

He smiled back at her before looking at the baby in her arms, telling himself he was just being neighborly he said "These locks are tricky, you probably need two hands to lock the door," and her answering grin was so bright he swore his heart melted just a little, and before he knew it he was holding his arms out and saying "I can hold Harry while you lock the door."

When he saw hesitance for the first time grace her features his mind worked double time to backtrack, but before he could we watched in shock as he hesitantly handed Harry over to him, and before he knew it she was back to locking the door, this time with both hands, and he was holding a baby.

He looked down at the baby in his arms who was offering him a toothless smile and grasping his tie with both hands. Harry tugged his tie lightly and released a high pitch squeal of joy at the blue checkered fabric. He, unconsciously, found himself smiling at the giggling baby in his arms, and when he looked up he found Lily smiling at them both, her door securely locked.

And as he passed her back Harry he found himself walking with her to the elevator and riding it down with her. They parted ways in the lobby as he headed to his car and headed towards the law firm he worked at. While Lily, as he learned, headed towards her own car to go to Harry's daycare and then to the hospital where she worked.

And soon he found himself in a type of routine. He would exit the apartment in the morning and meet Lily outside her own. He would hold Harry, while she locked her door, they would ride the elevator together and part ways, he would say goodbye, and Lily and Harry would wave goodbye.

When the boys found out about his and Lily's interactions he found himself defending his actions. Peter looked ill and when he said "You're going after a bird with a baby?" Remus smacked him. Sirius looked like Christmas had come early and made a horrid amount of daddy jokes. And as he sat there defending himself he found himself saying "I'm just being neighborly."

At the time he truly thought he meant it.

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The dreams didn't stop. He was to busy at the office to go out and find someone to work out his desires with. So, early morning cold showers became a biweekly thing. They were usually the same dreams. Her skin and his hands. Her breathy whispers as she squeezes him tight. He dreams about her in a multitude of different positions, but the one he finds himself most often dreaming about is when she is on her back facing him, and all he sees are her green eyes.

He justifies it though because they are just sex dreams. He doesn't dream about holding her hand, driving in the same car, or sharing a meal together. They are just sex dreams, so he ignores them, as much as he can. Because they are just neighbors and that's what he tells himself when one night he finds himself at the club with Sirius. He ignores Remus' curious looks when he dances with a pretty blonde girl named Annie. Then he finds himself pressing Annie against his apartment door and trailing kisses all over her tan skin. He doesn't remember falling into bed with her but he recognizes the feeling of pure relief when he pushes into her. And when, with his eyes closed, he imagines green eyes and soft red hair instead of Annie's blue and blonde he finds himself hitching her leg around his waist and going harder. Trying to lose himself in this women who was with him right now, trying to stop seeing red and green.

The next morning when he and leaves his house he can't stop the shame that he feels when Lily hands him Harry so she can lock the door. He ignored the burning feeling in his gut when Annie walked out of his apartment and thanks him for the great night before. He refuses to look at Lily as Annie pecks him on the cheek, he tries not to flinch when her lips touch him and walk away. When Lily coughs his eyes flash to her face when he hands Harry back to her he can't help but notice how the smile she gives him doesn't reach her eyes. The elevator ride was as silent as it was awkward and when they went their separate ways she didn't look back when he called out a hesitant "Goodbye".

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When he got home that night all he wanted was to relax, have a beer, watch football, and not think about Lily. But halfway through opening a beer there was a knock on his door. He should have known, the signs were all there. However, he didn't think twice when Sirius shouted "James get the door!" And then he was face to face with a drooling, smiling baby and his redheaded mother. He didn't know what was happening but luckily, lucky-ish, Sirius slid his way to the front door and after his friends gave him a shark-like grin. He spoke, all too innocently, "Didn't I mention we were babysitting tonight James?" His eyes widened as he looked in disbelief at Sirius before glancing back to Lily who refused to meet his eye and noticed she was holding a large baby bag beside her.

Without waiting any longer she handed him to James automatically, but only spoke to Sirius when she said "He has already eaten but he might be hungry again before I get back, everything you need is in his bag," she paused and glanced at him before dragging her eyes back to Sirius "Thanks for offering to watch him."

Then with an astounding amount of grace walked back out his door as he stood there in shock. He was still standing their when Sirius poked Harry in the belly, making him giggle, and said "I ran into her on my home today and she mentioned she didn't have a babysitter tonight, so obviously I offered up our services," he paused and slung Harry's baby bag over his shoulder flicking up one well-groomed eyebrow he continued in a smug all to knowing voice "I know how much you value being neighborly." Without saying anything else he dropped Harry's bag on the kitchen table and walked back to the living room. A small tap on his face made him look down and he was met with Harry's innocent, smiling face and he stared down at the baby before walking, as if in a trance, into the living room.

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His night was a whirlwind of Harry. Crying, laughing, smiling, poking, and squealing with unbridled joy. He didn't remember much of the night besides playing, dirty diapers that would have made the stoniest face lawyers he knows cringe, trying to feed him baby food, and enough vomit that it reminded him of his earliest partying days. One moment he was chasing the toddler around with a washcloth, and although Harry can barely walk as it is catching him was a right pain, but the next moment Sirius was walking him up. He glared at his mate in his sleepy trance and blinked a couple of times as he adjusted to the light.

"Lily's here to pick him up mate," was all he said before he walked back to the front door. It occurred to him then why Sirius woke him up because as he took in his surroundings he saw a tiny head full of black hair curled into his chest. Harry's one arm was around his neck while the other hand's thumb was in his mouth, and when he tried to move gently so he wouldn't wake him Harry just gurgled and, like a sleeping kitten, nuzzled into him. And for the first time that night, he didn't want this babysitting job to be over.

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Her breathy gasps were filling his ears, and his fingers dug into her hips. His teeth tugged at her lower lip once more before gliding along her jaw, and his hips thrust into her when she moaned as he sucked against her pulse point. "God James please, please" each word she whispered was breathy and full of need and it was her voice that made him pull back. He kissed her once more, quick on the lips, before trailing his lips along her neck, between her breasts, down her stomach and just when he was about to peel off her underwear he heard a baby cry.

He gave a huffed laugh and Lily groaned beneath him as he heaved himself off of her and she said "I'll get him this time". He watched as she pulled on a nightshirt and walked out of the room, hips swinging in a way that was truly hypnotizing. He raised an eyebrow in surprise when, not a moment later, she returned to the room but not alone. She gave a bashful smile that made his trousers tighter if that was even possible. He smiled however when she spoke, "He wanted his daddy." His heart glowed as she passed him their little boy and he looked into Harry's green eyes.

He got up and said "I'll go put him back to bed then," and then as he stood up he gave her a wink and as she laid back down in their bed, red hair fanning out, and continued "but I am not done with you yet Love."

Then he woke up, gasping for air. And as he walked to the shower and turned on cold water that night he thought to himself that was different.

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Authors Note:

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