Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter, they all belong to J.K Rowling. I do own the plot, well, most of it, and the characters of Diana Renton Black, and Nicole Portman.

Author's note: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews, especially those who reviewed more than once. I will also apologize for the language in the last chapter. I was stressed out the week that I wrote it, and it just came out. I just happen to like the F word, and so do they. I will watch my language in the future, I promise.

~*~ "So, what happens now?" James asked her. Lily thought for a second and shrugged.

"We'll see." She said. Her eyes began to dart back and forth slowly. She wasn't quite sure where to look. She didn't want to look at him, because she felt eye contact might cripple her judgment. She wanted to stay strong, even though she had just given in to him.

"Ok." He paused. He began to lean in close to her face. When he got close to her mouth she stopped him with her finger. She shook her head at him.

"No." she said, extremely proud of herself. He looked confused. "You haven't earned it yet." He nodded, and understood. He shifted his weight on the bed, trying with difficulty not to show her how much pain he was in. She rolled her eyes, without losing her pity for him.

"Turn around." She commanded.

"Huh?" His mind was preoccupied with trying not to make her notice that when she did, he was slightly perplexed, and a little embarrassed.

"Turn around." She was unsure of herself this time. She didn't exactly know if she wanted to help him or not. Her expression never faltered, but remained serene and determined. She acted as though what was about to happen could not be negotiated.

"No, I'm fine really." Not believing him she grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it. "Ow!" he whined, half out of pain, and half out of annoyance. He wasn't expecting that.

"See. You dislocated it. Now turn around and face me so I can fix it." He obeyed and reluctantly turned to her, his left shoulder towards her. She tried to roll up his sleeve, but it wouldn't go past his forearm. She got annoyed and her tugging didn't help his condition. She was trying to think of a logical way to fix the problem, without getting too close. She couldn't get too close, not yet.

"That hurts you know." He complained.

"Well you're not exactly helping me." She still refused to make eye contact.

"What am I supposed to use to help you, my paralyzed back or my sprained wrist?"

"Stop exaggerating, you are not paralyzed. Shut up, and don't move." She sighed out of frustration, and continuing to tug. She stopped and put her hands on her hips. Her feeble attempts were obviously not working, so she had to resort to difficult measures, at least for her. "The shirt has to come off then." She regretted it as soon as the words were spoken.

"Why?" he knew why, but he wanted to make her nervous, just a little.

"Well, do you want me to rip the sleeve, cause I will."

"Well, not really, I like this shirt."

"Fine, then be quiet." She spat. She realized that he couldn't take off his own shirt. More regret over the idea was evident on her face. Then she thought that she shouldn't be so silly. It was too much of a hassle to go to a hospital, when she could easily do it in the comfort of her own home. It is just a little injury, she thought. There is nothing complicated about it, nothing even remotely sexual.

She undid each button, and then stuck her hand on the inside of the shirt. She let it drop off his shoulders. She then took her own hand and held his wrist. Slowly, not wanting to hurt him, she pulled the shirtsleeve off his right hand. She wrapped the shirt around and did the same to the left. The shirt was thrown to the side.

"Stay still." She said, he was squirming, and put one hand on his shoulder and one on his bicep. They were both nervous, she not wanting to make anything worse, and he not wanting to feel the pain he was about to experience. They both sighed and with a forceful push she knocked it back in the socket. James grunted through his teeth and grasped the headboard in pain.

"I'm sorry." She said, forgetting herself and put her hand on his back. James was taking huge deep breaths and his eyes were shut.

"That. Really. Hurt." He said, winded and holding his shoulder. Lily was suddenly more confident about everything else. She straitened up.

"Well suck it up because your back is next." She folded her arms.

"You just love to see me in pain don't you." He joked.

"Every second. Now hold still and lie down."

"Ow, which side?" he reluctantly asked.

"Your stomach." He did so, trying not to scream. Lily couldn't believe she had actually done this much damage without a wand. Lily shivered when she thought about what else she could do.

James' head was in the pillow. He was breathing in and out nervously. Lily climbed onto his back and he groaned. She shushed him. Then, she took her right hand and jammed it into his back, cracking it. James' body leapt up and he screamed out of pain.

"You're killing me!" he yelled, as Lily got off of him.

"Good." She said with a smile on her face, in a twisted sort of way she was enjoying this. "Now what about your wrist." She said, innocently.

"Oh no, you're not touching that." He said, clutching it.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. I'll use my wand this time, I swear." She crossed her heart.

"Fine, as long as you don't hit me with it." He said sorely.

"I wouldn't start giving me ideas at this point, Potter." She slyly replied. "Now stop complaining." She said crossly. She concentrated and muttered a healing charm and in a flash, his wrist no longer hurt him. He flexed it and began opening and closing his fingers.

"Thank you." He said, a little weary and still a tad sore.

"Your welcome." She smiled. There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. They both looked away, trying to preoccupy themselves with something more interesting, like the ceiling or the tapestries. It didn't last long and Lily began to get tired. Her eyes fell on James.

She suddenly noticed his body and the fact that he was shirtless. Apparently, his constant Quidditch recreation kept him in excellent shape. 'He looks good' she thought, 'really good.' But, denying herself the visual pleasure of her husband she turned her head and remembered that she was still angry. He noticed her abrupt turn and they both felt a little embarrassed. He chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair. She did the same, pulling a few strands away from her cheek. It was then that James noticed the slight gash on the side of her face.

"Jesus Lil'," he said. He hadn't really noticed it before because of all the commotion. He then put his head down. "I did that." He was so angry with himself that he couldn't even look at her.

She simply nodded her head. "You didn't mean it." She answered.

"That shouldn't have happened. It should have been him, or me. I never meant for you to get in the middle of it." There was a hint of abhorrence in his voice. She wasn't quite sure whether it was for Severus or himself.

"How could you expect me not to James? First of all, we were in public. Second, he is my friend, and you are my husband. I have every right to be angry with both of you, fighting over me like children. It was disgraceful. You two don't make it easy you know. Sometimes I think I can't have you both."

'Have us both?' He thought. 'Was she mad?' "Well, to be honest, I don't want him in your life. I never did."

"I know."

"You know we hate each other too. I don't understand why you care for him. He is just a greasy, conniving, no good..."

"That's enough." She put her hand up to silence him. "He's not conniving, he has no reason to be."

"He loves you." James said, grinding his teeth, as if those words and what they meant were dangerous, and not to be heard outside that very room.

"Yes he does. But he knows, hopefully by now that I can never love him like that. My heart does not lie with him." She opened the door again, and it was going to be difficult to close.

"Then who does it lie with?" All he wanted was to make her say it, just to make him feel better, even though he knew the answer. She already said that she loved him.

"Can we drop this please?" she asked impatiently. She did not want to go through this. Their feelings were made abundantly clear and she really did not want to cry again. There were no more tears for that night.

"I'm sorry." He nodded while Lily attempted to change the subject.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, a little fake and upbeat.

"Well it's only been five minutes but, a little better. How bout you?"

"Fine, I guess. I'm tired though." She said, in the midst of a yawn.

"Really, it's not that late." He checked the clock.

"I've had a long day, and so have you. I need to sleep."

"So you can sleep now?"

"No, not really. How did you know about that?" Lily always assumed that he was asleep.

"Do you think you're the only one who has trouble sleeping? Trust me, I knew when you didn't sleep."

"I didn't think you noticed." She said, pushing herself off the bed.

"Well I did."

She stood up strait and walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room. He was watching her every move. He half expected her to run out the door, now that he was feeling better. She didn't. Instead she opened the drawer and grabbed a large t-shirt. She yawned again, and motioned for him to turn his head. He did, and rolled his eyes. He removed his glasses and rubbed them furiously.

Lily then stood in front of the mirror. She removed her shirt and looked directly at the wound on her chest. It was the wound left by the Death Eater a couple of weeks ago. The wound still wasn't completely healed, and not quite a scar, but still bruised all around. She never did see a doctor about it, or even bothered to cover it with a bandage. She was always so busy. She touched it slightly and bit her lip. She couldn't show him this, she thought. He would be upset. She was staring at it for a good five minutes when James spoke up.

"Can I turn around now?" he asked, annoyed she was taking so long. She hurriedly put the shirt over herself. It was long and came past her knees. It was a v-neck and the bruise partially shown through. She decided to put her hair over it for tonight. "Yea ok." She replied.

James turned around to face her. She looked almost ethereal standing there before him. The moonlight shown through the curtains and embraced her in a sort of artificial light. Never, not in his whole life had she ever looked so beautiful. To him she was like an angel, a pixie, a siren, and he was dumbfounded. He was staring. Lily became increasingly uncomfortable so she began to walk towards the bed. She thought that he had seen through her shirt. He didn't though. She pulled back the covers and shyly entered the bed, knees first.

"You don't have to worry Lil, I won't bite you." James said, so in love with her and amused by her girlish mannerisms.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that," she said, not loud enough for him to hear. She was acting as though she was a virgin on her wedding night. He wondered why she was so nervous. He didn't even think about sleeping with her until that very moment. He laughed to himself. Did she want to? He thought. No, sex would ruin things more than they were already ruined. When she was ready she would initiate it.

Lily pulled the covers up to her neck. James was still above the covers and would remain there all night. "Goodnight." She said, sounding devoid of any emotion. She rolled over making sure she couldn't see his face. James smirked behind her back.

"Goodnight." He said.

He stared at the ceiling. Yes, he was definitely more comfortable with her next to him. He knew she was still upset and angry, but she had promised to stay. She actually stayed. He knew she loved him. He looked at her. She wasn't asleep yet but would be in a minute. He realized that she brought happiness to his life. She was his reason for getting up in the morning. He stared at the woman he loved since he was seventeen. Her chest was breathing in and out, in sync with the ticking of the clock behind him. She was his savior in a way. She had brought him back to life without realizing it. He would always need her, and always love her. They were the same. They loved spouting insults at one another, to see who would come out the bigger person, to see who would win. At that moment it all meant nothing, even if most of it was true.

His eyes averted back to the ceiling and he put one hand behind his head. He couldn't help smiling even though they hadn't completely made up yet. Everything will be all right, he thought. Things will be different. They will have a family, a child, everything. We can be what we once were, he thought. Anything is possible. You can't repeat the past but you can certainly change your future. He can look at her now, as a woman, as a wife. He had gotten a taste of the fiery red head with the smart mouth, and never-ending courage. She wasn't afraid of him, well; she never had a reason to be. He realized that no matter what happened or how bad things got, that every passing minute was a chance to turn it all around. At that moment he realized that the sweet wasn't as sweet without the sour, and he was put at ease, and was comforted. He could sleep now.

*~*~*

Four hours later...at the Black residence.

Diana was tossing and turning in her sleep. She wasn't having a nightmare, but in her mind no position was comfortable. She was dreaming. She saw herself running and running into a black abyss, without any possibility for escaping. There were intoxicating scents of Jasmine at first, but then, as she ran farther, and faster, it drastically changed. She found herself in a room. It was unknown to her where, for it was not from her childhood, or the present for that matter. It was a simple kitchen, with simple cabinets and countertops. This was odd. The smell of cabbage permeated throughout her surroundings, and she couldn't breathe. The smell took shape and became a fog, an intense, endless mist by which her eyes watered and she started coughing uncontrollably.

She began to rub her eyes and when she looked up again she was in a courthouse. It reminded her of a pensieve because no one seemed to notice her. Amorphous figures surrounded her and they began to speak. She couldn't make out names or faces. They were screaming at something, at someone. At whom, she couldn't tell. The sound was deafening so she covered her ears. She only heard one sound, one that rang loud and clear: "Guilty!"

She woke up with a start and took one huge breath. She was sweating like a madwoman and her hands were shaking. She also had a tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was suddenly so grateful to be in her bedroom that she looked down at her pillow and hugged it. Her strange and abrupt movements awakened Sirius. He thought she was in distress and became worried. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Diana?...Diana what's the matter?"

"Nothing..it was nothing." She said, incredibly relieved. "Just a dream, a strange dream that's all." She took one of the sheets and wiped the particles of sweat off of her forehead.

"You scared me, I thought something was wrong. Was it a nightmare?" he said, still half asleep but curious just the same.

"No, um, I don't think so. It was all so strange. I wasn't afraid, just confused that's all. I was startled and then I just woke up. I didn't mean to worry you darling, I'm fine."

"Good, good. No, I just thought that you were upset. We have had a stressful night."

She nodded. Then, without warning a sudden feeling came over her, one that she couldn't describe. She couldn't speak. Her stomach was in knots and her body began to overheat. This worried Sirius even more.

She clutched her stomach, trying to numb the pain. It wasn't pain per se, more like intense nausea. Diana was confused. She started to cough and put her hand over her mouth. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom as quickly as she could. She knelt down to the toilet but nothing came out. She couldn't inhale. She was gagging. Sirius ran in after her. When he entered he thought that she was choking and tried to grab her around the waist. She kicked him away. Then, she took in two more deep breaths and vomited.

This took a lot out of her. Her arm was resting on the toilet and she was out of breath. Sirius knelt down next to her, and put his arms around her. Her hand was over her mouth while the other grasped onto him.

Sirius was incredibly confused, they both were.

"What happened my love?" he asked, kissing her check and gently rocking her back and forth.

"Nerves." She said, almost absentmindedly. "Just nerves..that's all...."

(Make of that what you will; we'll just have to see what happens! Lots of action in chapter 9, but you'll have to wait on it (. It is about the beginning of the Order of the Phoenix, but that's all I'm going to tell you. I'm evil, I know this.)

Dream Kitty~ I am so glad you enjoyed it, you are a great reviewer!

Senav~ lucky number 15, that's you! I know this took longer than 2 hours, but I hope it was worth it (

Feather~ You are the coolest, and you know it! I greatly respect your opinion and pretty much everything you say! (Whether it does or does not concern overanalization, or our petty obsessions ()

Magicrulz~ thanks sooo much!

Kaeldra~ There will be happily ever after eventually, as we all know, and notice I did not have my usual potty mouth in this one (. You are great!

Moon Princess~ what can I say, but a simple thank you will do I think. I am NOT a genius, in fact, I'm far from it, but I am incredibly flattered!

Xnedra~ you are so lovely, there are no words! I just hope it eventually lives up to everything you say it is. (Love the tears by the way, nice touch(. I am a sappy fool, but aren't we all)

Can we make it to 20? I think so, because that is the next time I will update! Talk to you all soon! ~Angelxd14*