I'm BAAAAACCCCKKKKKK. And reposting this AGAIN. Yes, I know I've been gone for almost a year. For some reason, I couldn't write a thing. Grrrr….. Well anyways, another chapter is on the way (YAY!) but I figured I'd fix this one first.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, do you hear me? Nothing!

Chapter Two-Best of Intentions

The Potters had been in hiding for around a week now, and they were finally beginning to feel safe. Right now, Lily was sitting on the living room couch next to James, with a crackling fire to warm the chill October air. Her legs were curled to the side, and she was leaning against James's muscular chest, with his arms wrapped around her waist. They smiled, watching Harry crawl around on the rug. A magical barrier had been erected to protect him from the fire. It was a perfect scene of happiness and peace.
James whispered, "We always wanted a little boy, Lils. I didn't think we even thought of names in case we got a girl."
Laughing softly, she replied, "No, because we wanted a girl second, so she could have an older brother to protect her, and Harry could have a baby sister."
James said, "We had out whole life planned out. I was to be the famous Quidditch player, and you were going to travel with us. Then, when we had out first child, I was going to retire and get a different job. We would have everything we ever wanted."

I had big plans for our future
Said I'd give you the whole world somehow

Lily's smile faded. "How much of that has come true? You had that injury, that awful injury, and all of our plans changed." While playing Quidditch for the Wigtown Wanderers, James had been hit by both Bludgers simultaneously. One had broken both his legs, while the other fractured his skill and left him unconscious. Through some miracle, he had caught the Snitch a second before and had been right above the Puddlemere United Seeker. The girl had caught James as he toppled from the broom and had carried him safely to the ground. Although James had been magically repaired in the span of five minutes, he stayed unconscious. No spells can instantly mend brain damage, and the Bludger had severely bruised his brain. It was a week before he woke up, and even then he was wan and pale. He had to stay in the hospital for a month. After that, his reflexes, although still quick, were far too slow for a Seeker. James was forced to abandon his Quidditch dreams.

I tried to makin' good on that promise
Thought I'd be so much further by now

James was now a journalist, writing articles for the Daily Prophet. While recovering from his injuries, reporters had swamped his hospital room. Although he was a fairly new player, James had a presence and personality that was impossible to miss. He was also one of the best Seekers in the league, easily beating most of his opposition. During a particularly busy afternoon, James had snapped, yelling, "Okay, this is too much! If all of you leave me a list of questions, I will write up everything you want to know and owl it to you." Well, the reporters were shocked, but what could they do? At least they'd get their answers. James did as he promised and owled out the papers. About fifteen minutes later he was deluged with replies, most of which read something like this, "Mr. Potter, we were expecting a list of questions and answers, not a full article! That article, though, was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Would you please consider a career as a journalist? If you like we can give you a position here." So James had accepted a job at the Daily Prophet. He, of course, preferred to report on Quidditch, but few articles were given to sports. Far more was written on the Dark Lord, Voldemort, his killings and his movements. Lists of victims were printed, and they grew larger daily. James could hardly bear to write the articles on Voldemort. So many of his friends had already been lost to the man. But James did what he had to to earn money for his family. The pay was respectable, but nowhere near what his Quidditch salary had been.
James sighed. "Lily, I'm sorry our plans didn't work out. If only I hadn't gotten hurt, we would be so much better off now."

Never could build you a castle
Even though you're the queen of my heart
But I've had the best of intentions from the start

"James, honey." She began as she pulled away slightly. Looking up into his soft hazel eyes, she continued, "Don't blame yourself. Your accident was just that...an accident. There was nothing you could have done. I'm just glad you're okay. For awhile, they thought you might not wake up."
"I know you don't think it was my fault. A lot of people think I could have kept from getting hurt, though. You've read the articles, too, you can't deny it. You know as well as I what they say, 'James Potter has been admitted to St. Mungos with two broken legs, a fractured skill, and considerable brain damage. Maybe next time he should wait until all the Bludgers are boxed before celebrating a win.' 'Now the main question-where were Potter's famous reflexes then? Are they only there until he catches the Snitch?' Could I have dodged at least one Bludger?"

Now some people think I'm a loser
'Cause I seldom get things right

Lily cut him off, twisting out of his arms to look at him in the face without craning her neck, "James, if you're waiting for everyone to go one way or another, it's not going to happen. All that matters is what you think." She smiled suddenly, eyes glinting mischievously as she finished, "and what I think, of course."
James burst out laughing. "Of course, what you think means the world to me."
The smile disappeared as Lily's green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you making fun of me?" She asked accusingly.
"Not at all, Lily-heart, not at all." He replied. The fact that he was still fighting to control his laughter unfortunately forced any shred of seriousness out of his reply.
Lily continued mock glaring at the man as he shook with suppressed laughter. Her face remained impassive until James lost control and began laughing out loud again. A corner of her mouth twitched upward, and she giggled, throwing herself at James. He almost fell over, but recovered quickly.
"Oh, James, I do love you." She whispered into his chest, arms wrapped tight around him.
"I love you too, Lily." He said instantly serious. "Always have, always will. Never forget that."

But you make me feel like a winner
When you wrap me in your arms so tight
Please tell me you will remember
No matter how much I do wrong
That I had the best of intentions all along

Lily suddenly jumped. Something had grabbed her knee! Looking down, she saw Harry, who had crawled over and pulled himself to his feet using the couch. Reaching down she picked him up and set him on her lap, cooing, "Aw, Harry, did you feel left out? Poor Harry." Lily began to tickle him, and the infant started to squirm and giggle, swatting at her hands until the glint of firelight on her rings caught his eye. Babbling happily in baby talk, he stretched out his pudgy hands, reaching for the rings on Lily's now still hands. Grasping her left hand, he pulled it in front of his face and began to inspect her engagement and wedding rings with a very absorbed air.
James watched Lily and Harry play, smiling at the sight. Then, as Harry inspected the rings, the smile began to fade as James again remembered the past. This time, thought, the memory was a happy one. James had searched for weeks to find the perfect engagement ring for Lily. It had taken so long because he didn't want any common ring. The one he bought had to be special, unique, just like the girl he bought it for. James hadn't really wanted a diamond- neither he nor Lily was a big fan of diamonds. They preferred things with a little more color to them. For Lily, with her vibrant green eyes and blazing red hair, a diamond simply couldn't compare. Finally, James found the ring in a small antique shop in Diagon Alley. It was an odd red-gold, made of three strands twisted together. At the top sat a large emerald heart, sparkling and glittering in the midst of the dusty store. While the stone was large, it was not so big as to be gaudy. It was perfect.
That night, James had taken Lily out to eat at the Thousands Miles Restaurant, an "international eatery" in Hogsmeade. The Thousands Miles was famous for having delicacies from all over the world, from Columbia to Russia. There was even a section of the menu reserved exclusively for the foods astronauts take to space. The main attraction, though, was a display that covered an entire wall. Every minute, the image would change. Each picture was of a gorgeous landscape, everything from the Egyptian Pyramids to the snow tipped Alps to the Hawaiian waterfalls. It was a beautiful place to go. During dinner, a particularly nice picture was shown. A single iceberg floated on a midnight-blue sea. The sun shining down brought out the blue and green streaks hidden deep within the ice. When she saw it, Lily said, "Antarctica. I've always wanted to go there. It seems so…amazing."
Reaching over the table, James took her hand, leaning towards her as he said, "Then we'll go. Someday, we'll get there, I promise." Then, taking a deep breath, he asked, "Lils, do you love me?"
She replied, "Of course I do, James, you know that."
He sank to one knee in front of the now wide-eyed Lily, taking both her hands in his. Softly he whispered, "I love you too, forever and always. I can't imagine not having you in my life. I want to have you by my side for eternity. Will you marry me, Lily Evans?"
Tears welled up, making her eyes sparkle even more than usual, as she nodded, stammering out, "Yes…oh my god, yes…I love you James."
He began to laugh in both relief and pure joy as he let go of her hands, reaching into his pocket for the ring. Flipping open the boy, he took the ring out, sliding it onto the heart finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly, the emerald glittering against her ivory skin, almost as if the ring was made just for Lily.
Staring at it in awe, she whispered, "Oh, it's beautiful," before James swept her up into a tight embrace.

I gave you a ring
And I promised you things
I always thought we'd do

Antarctica. He had promised they'd go to Antarctica, and the two were finally going to go this year, leaving Harry in Sirius's care. James and Sirius had begged for weeks to get Lily to let Sirius baby-sit Harry. (For some reason, she didn't think it was quite safe) She had only given in, albeit reluctantly, when Remus had promised to help. The Potters had even booked passage on the Beach Rose, the first ever cruise to Antarctica. If all had worked out, they would have been packing that very instant for a month on the high seas. Just when it seemed one of their plans was to be completed at last, things came crashing down about their ears again. Dumbledore's spies had found out Voldemort's newest hit list. The Potters were top of the list, the highest priority to kill. The cruise was cancelled and they went into hiding.

But my best-laid plans
Slipped right through my hands
To show my love for you

As Harry finished his examination of Lily's engagement ring and moved on to the wedding ring, she looked at James with an expression of wry resignation. Noticing his faraway look, she nudged him, asking concernedly, "Is anything wrong?"
He shook his head slightly, slowly focusing on Lily. Raising a hand, he smiled as he smoothed away her worried frown. "No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking."
Lily sighed suddenly, confessing, "Well, I think something's wrong. I don't know how much more I can take this constant fear, this not being able to trust anyone, and most of all, this hiding. I want to do something, not just sit around here, saving my own skin. I could be helping people."
"I know, Lily-heart, I know. I feel useless too. But what can we do? If we leave hiding, we'll probably die, but if we stay hidden, others will die. This was supposed to be the best possible solution."

And if you could read my heart
Then you'd know without exception
It was all with the best of intentions

Although it was obvious Lily was still upset, she got up, scooping Harry into her arms. "C'mon darling," she drawled, "It's baby's bedtime."
No sooner had she finished than the front door exploded open in a blaze of light. James leapt up crying, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"
She clung to him in desperation, wailing, "No James, no! I won't leave you! I can't!"
He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her lightly as he said intensely, "You must! There's no other way! Go now, before it's too late!" He pulled her close, kissing her hard on the lips for the last time, then spinning her gently round and giving her a little push to the hall. She glanced over her shoulder as she broke into a run, her emerald eyes wide in a pasty white face. James was watching her go, and as she looked face, he said one final time, "I love you, Lily-heart."

So here I am asking forgiveness
And praying that you'll understand
Don't think I take you for granted
Girl, I know just how lucky I am
Though you deserve so much better
You won't find devotion more true
'Cause I've had the best of intentions
Girl, I've had the best of intentions
Yes, I've had the best of intentions loving you