Ok got to go to bed, but brief note

sorry for the delay (I have tonsilitis)

Hope you enjoy this, it's not as saucy as it usually is, but it explains some more.

Thanks for all the reveiws, more soon!

Luv ya

Jessie xxx

Phase eight- Getting to the worst of it

Lily led James into her mothers home. The hospital.

"Hello Miss Evans." She was greeted by a male nurse. "Are you here to see your mother? You're in luck, she's awake."

"Oh good!" Lily said happily. "Thanks Tim."

Lily lead James to her mothers hospital room, obviously Mrs Evans was quite a permanent resident as her ward was a lot more homely and Lily knew the way by heart.

"Brace yourself." She said to him just as they entered. "Hey mum." She said softly taking a seat next to the frail looking woman's bedside. The woman looked up at her alarmed.

"Who..."

"It's me Lily, your daughter. You remember don't you. I came to visit you in the summer." She picked a picture up off the side. "Look see here I am with you, in this picture." Mrs Evans studied it closely, then her mouth formed a big smile.

"I remember, you are my youngest, aren't you." Lily gave her mother a hug.

"That's right. You know your getting better at this. I thought I would come to see you as it's Christmas, Look I even got you a gift." Out of her robes, Lily pulled a small box and handed it to her mother. Inside was a small picture frame with Lily smiling and waving, at the bottom of the picture was her name. "It's to help you remember me more. See it's a wizarding photo it moves."

"Thank you darling." Her mother said weakly. "Is that my son?" She asked pointing to James. Lily blushed. As did James.

"No, no mother, that's James Potter. He's, he's..." Lily didn't want to confuse her mother in explaining her relationship with James, hell Lily didn't even understand it. So she said the simplest thing which came to mind. "He's my boyfriend."

James paused for a moment, half shocked that Lily would call him that, they hardly had a proper relationship they fought the majority of the time and made out and had sex the rest of it. They never had an in between. But the other half of him really liked that name she had given him. It felt right. For some reason, he wished she would call him her boyfriend more often. The suddenly he realised himself and remembered Lily's situation. Her mother had forgotten her own daughters' name. Besides, he knew Lily didn't want commitment. He couldn't get her past that could he?

"James Potter." He said standing forward and kissing Mrs Evans hand.

"Justine Milne." Lily's mum replied with a small smile. "I do hope you treat my daughter right." She said- but not accusingly.

"Of course." James replied, feeling just slightly guilty. Lily smirked at him in the background. The three of them made small talk until Lily's mother fell asleep. Lily and James went into the waiting room for a while, Lily didn't feel like moving on just yet.

"Lily, your mothers surname..."

"It's her maiden name. She can't remember anything about being married. See she loved my dad more then anything in the world. Sure she loved me and my sister but my dad he was her reason for living. Then one day he tells her he's in love with someone else and bam she goes barmy. She threw things at him told him to get out, then she burnt all his clothes, all the pictures she could find of him, Anything which smelt of him. For a while she refused to see me and my sister. Then one day I caught her trying to slit her wrist. She was rushed to hospital and they just about saved her. I thought that would be it when she came home. She seemed more like her old self. She was more placid and she let me and Petunia back into her life. Then just before I went back to Hogwarts that year she did it again. This time she tried to drown herself. I got in from doing the shopping and Petunia was looking for her. She wasn't in the house, the car was still home, the garden was empty. One of the neighbours saw her going for a walk with our dog, daisy. So we headed for the fields. That's when we heard Daisy barking. So we both ran knowing that daisy barked when she was loose, and she's not allowed to be loose- not old enough. And we found her in the lake. I jumped in and pulled her out, whilst Petunia ran to get help. And now here she is almost five years on, in the same hospital bed, going through the same routine. The amount of Oxygen she lost that day permanently affected her memory. They've been saying that she will die, it could be days, it could be months. Just recently she's gotten a lot worse."

"It must be terrible for you, just waiting for the worst." James said sympathetically. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she just shrugged it off.

"I dread it everytime I get an owl. Just thinking what news it might bring. And at first I was scared for her, but now I wonder if it was selfish of me to have saved her. I mean this is not much of a life is it? Lying in a hospital bed day after day. Her only visitors are her two daughters. And she can't even remember us. Maybe she would have suffered less." Lily was tearful, she had never been brave enough to mention this to anyone before.

"Don't be silly." James said holding her. "You love your mother and she loves you. She may not seem to remember you, but when you reminded her, she trusted you enough to believe you. She did remember, but slowly." Lily fell asleep in James' arms as James' mind began to reel- If this is what Love had done to Lily's mother, then no wonder Lily didn't want to ever fall in love. No wonder she hated her father and step mother. He would too.

He woke up the next morning with a stiff neck-, which would have been caused by the way he had slept. And he looked down into his arms, and for the first time he found Lily there. He smiled, then looked at his watch- 8.50. Maybe the canteen would be making breakfast?

Suddenly to his shock a woman came up to Lily and himself and just started shaking Lily.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She said sharply as Lily opened her hazy eyes.

"Get off Petunia." Lily grumbled. "What do you think I'm doing here. I came to see mum."

"And you just thought you'd sleep out here where everyone can see you in some... tramps arms?" I looked at myself, ok sure my hair was a little messy, I couldn't help that- and my clothes a bit creased- I'd been sleeping in them. But there was no reason what so ever to be calling me a tramp. Lily turned round and looked at me with wide eyes, only just realising what she'd done.

"Who are you to be calling me a tramp?" I asked harshly. She ignored me.

"Who is he Lily?" Petunia asked.

"A boy from my school." Lily replied sharply. Petunia looked around quickly to see if anyone had heard, as had a rather plump man behind her. "I didn't even say the name!" Lily growled angrily.

"Listen to me, I don't want you filling mum's head with anymore of your nonsense ok! You're a freak Lily, and she'd be better off not remembering you. Do me, you and her, all a favour. Leave her alone." James was shocked at the harshness of Petunia's words. This was Lily's sister?

"Do you two mind." The plump man stepped forward. James thought he was addressing the two sisters, he was wrong. "You two are upsetting my wife. Can you please move along." James glowered at him. He'd seen enough of Lily's family for a day. Lily herself was close to tears.

"If I ever hear of you two talking to Lily like this again, you will regret it. Lily is the smartest, bravest, most beautiful woman I know. As her sister you should look out for her. You should respect her as she would you. Now we are going to leave, I hope you think about how you've treated your own flesh and blood and that you regret how you acted." He then took Lily's hand and pulled her out of the hospital. "Come on Lily. We've had enough torture for this holiday. We'll visit you mum again. Now we're going back to my house." Lily nodded. She was quite numb to the whole ordeal. Petunia waking her. Finding herself in James' arm. Petunia being her usual nasty self, with her godforsaken husband. The most of all what James had said about her- he stood up for her. She just followed him and he somehow got her to his house without her knowing how.

She looked up at a humble cottage. She had expected James' house to be more glorious. He had always made out to be something special.

They went up to the door and knocked. After a couple of prolonged minutes an old lady opened the door and looked at the couple.

"James?" She said with a smile. "I didn't think you were coming home for Christmas."

"Nan, you got my owl, saying I was staying with Lily?" James hugged his grandma.

"Oh yes dear of course. Come in come in. Your grandfather is just making some tea." She lead them into a cosy living room. James sat Lily down next to him on an old comfy couch. And minutes later His grandma re entered with whom she could only assume was his grandpa.

"James, lad your home. We were just saying how quiet it was with out you and Sirius here."

"Pup." James said giving the old man a hug.

"And who is this young looker then?" He asked James grinned evilly at Lily. If she could do it so could he.

"This is my girlfriend, Lily." She shot him a glare, then put on a sugary sweet smile and stood up.

"Lily Evans." She said extending her hand to his grandpa. He pulled her into a hug.

"Well, well Lily Evans. Not THE Lily Evans?" It was James' turn to blush. He had mentioned her names a few times.

"Pup, no!" James protested.

"It's about time you put a stop to his infatuation!" 'pup' laughed.

"Ow really?" Lily asked with a smile.

"Oh yes, we hear it every summer. Lily this and Evans that. Finally asked you out then did he?" Lily inwardly laughed.

"Yes, he was very sweet about it. Of course you know he's head boy. Well I'm head girl. And one night we were in the heads room discussing the leavers ball..." James stood up in protest But Lily carried on. "Well, suddenly he interrupted it and just said. Look Lily, I've liked you for a long time. Would you please go out, at least on one date with me? And he asked so sweetly, I just couldn't refuse him." James' Grandma beamed.

"See John, I told you we taught him well, didn't I." She said proudly. Both lily and James felt a little ashamed at themselves on hearing this.

"So, it's alright if we stay here for the rest of the holiday? My house, well it's too crowded. I didn't realise there would be so many people there." Lily lied.

"Of course dear that's fine. I regret that we have no spare room however. James can sleep down here on the couch. You may have his bed."

"Ow no Mrs Potter. I couldn't impose so much I will sleep on the couch."

"Don't be silly." James said. "You have my bed, I'll sleep on the floor in there." He turned to his grandmother. "We wouldn't do anything inappropriate. You have my word."

"Ow yes James is nothing but a gentleman." Lily agreed.

"That's the way we brought him up." Pup grinned.

"Nanna, would you please summon our trunks for us." James asked in the voice of a three year old.

"Yes dear, take Lily up to your room, they will be here in a bit." James gave his Nan a kiss on the cheek and took Lily by the hand and led her to his room.

They entered and Lily took a big look round. James' room was small, but at the same time big. It was full of shelves with books of all different contexts (not just quidditch). He had a double bed, and the walls were a rich blue. It was also perfectly tidy. Lily instantly fell in love with it. She jumped on the bed ad laid down, James laid next to her. And they just laid there in silence for about 15 minutes, untill Lily voiced a thought which had struck her a while ago.

"James, what happened to your parents?"...